22-06-2025
Scotland's dog fouling law slammed by critics as prosecution stats revealed
Statistics have sparked fears low-level crime is being ignored in Scotland
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DOG-fouling laws have been described as 'all bark, no bite' after a big drop in prosecutions.
The collapse has fuelled fears low-level crime is being ignored in Scotland.
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Dog-fouling laws were described as 'all bark, no bite' after a drop in prosecutions
Credit: Alamy
Latest figures show only one person was nabbed by cops or other agencies in 2021-22 under the Dog Fouling (Scotland) Act 2003.
That compares to a high of 86 taken to court in 2013/14 for failing to pick up their pet's poo on streets, parks, paths and footie pitches.
Lib Dem MSP Jamie Greene, who uncovered the stats, said they were the result of years of underfunding for councils.
He hit out: 'Ever since the SNP started slashing budgets, local authorities have been dogged by a poo problem.
'Figures show there are now barely any prosecutions. This will encourage bad owners because they show the law is all bark, no bite.
The Scottish Government needs to ensure police and councils are properly resourced to tackle this.'
Under the law, culprits can be hit with fines of up to £100.
Data also reveals a big drop in anti-social behaviour crimes recorded by cops.
Offences plummeted by 46 per cent in the last decade from 320,000 to fewer than 175,000. The largest drop was for enforcing anti-urinating laws, with 11,216 crimes in 2014/15 and 759 in 2023/24.
Police Scotland has been accused of abandoning low-level crime due to a lack of officers.
In March last year, the force confirmed it won't investigate some cases where there's no CCTV, witnesses, or other obvious leads.
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A Scottish Government spokesman said: 'We have invested a record £1.64billion in policing this year and provided councils with a record £15billion."
