MP votes in favour of making pet theft a specific criminal offence

Last night in Parliament, Tim Farron was the only Cumbrian MP to vote in favour of an amendment to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill which would make pet theft a specific criminal offence.

The number of dog thefts in Cumbria has more than doubled during the pandemic, with figures from Cumbria Police obtained by BBC Radio Cumbria showing that 46 dogs were reported stolen in the county last year, compared to just 22 in 2019.

However the amendment was defeated by Conservative MPs, by 232 votes to 354.

Speaking after the vote, Tim said: "We've all been shocked by the hugely worrying rise in pet thefts and as a dog owner myself I can't imagine how tragic it must be for people to have their pets stolen from them.

"So I'm very disappointed to find myself the only Cumbria MP to vote in favour of making pet theft a specific criminal offence, knowing the heartbreak that has been caused to dozens of local families over the past year.

"I would encourage Conservative MPs to listen to the victims who've lost an animal which is very much part of their family, understand the pain and the loss they're going through and then hopefully that will wake them up to start taking this seriously."