An average of six dangerous dog attacks took place every month over the past three years

More than 215 dangerous dog offences took place in Waltham Forest between March 2022 and March 2025.

Fresh Met Police data gathered by Legal Expert shows that, in the year ending March 2025, there were 60 Waltham Forest-based offences involving a dangerously out-of-control dog injuring a person or assistance dog.

93 such offences were recorded in 2023/24, compared to 64 in the twelve months before that, working out to an average of six dangerous dog attacks every month over the past three years.

Despite that, Waltham Forest is still among the least likely boroughs to witness a dog attack.

It was 24th in the list of London boroughs for out-of-control dog offences. Croydon, with 478 incidents, and Barnet (364), were affected most by violence involving dogs.

Overall, Greater London witnessed 8,883 out-of-control dog attacks leading to injury.

Only 122 cases (4%) in 2024/25 led to an offender being charged, although 28 people received a caution and another 99 cases were closed after a ‘community resolution’.

Almost half the cases -1,406 of them – were closed because a suspect could not be identified.

In January 2024, the government implemented new rules about XL Bully dogs following a number of attacks and incidents across the UK.

It is now a legal requirement for all XL Bully dogs within the UK to be kept on a lead and muzzled out in public, and owners must have a certificate of exemption.

Recently, the NSPCA spoke out against the Dangerous Dogs Act in light of a spate of attacks and dog-related deaths.

“It is absolutely heartbreaking that dog fatalities and serious bite incidents are continuing and in very concerning numbers – which underlines that the Dangerous Dog Act simply isn’t working, and hasn’t been for 34 years,” said Dr Samantha Gaines, the charity’s Head of companion animals.

She added: “The law has been failing dogs and, crucially, public safety too for long.”

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