Operational partnerships - Animals unlawfully landed in Britain SOP (O10b)

1. Summary of changes

1.1. This standard operating procedure (SOP) has been reviewed in June 2023 - no amendments to content have been made. 

2. What this procedure is about

2.1. The principal legislation that covers the landing of animals in Great Britain is the Animal Health Act 1981 and the Rabies (Importation of Dogs, Cats and Other Mammals) Order 1974 (as amended) and the aim of that legislation is to prevent the spread of animal diseases. 

2.2. The police have a role to play in enforcing the above legislation in support of the primary enforcement agency, Kent County Council Trading Standards (KCCTS). Due to the nature of the issue this SOP is aimed primarily at officers and staff working at ports and explains what action to take on receipt of a report of an animal that has been brought into the country unlawfully.

2.3. This SOP provides an outline of who to contact (and how) as well as what powers are open to officers and staff when dealing with an illegally landed animal.

Compliance with this SOP and any governing policy is mandatory.

3. Detail the procedure

3.1. The Pet Passport Scheme

3.1.1. Travel into and out of Great Britain by pet animals (five animals maximum per person) is authorised by the issue of a valid pet passport under the Pet Passport Scheme (PETS) or a valid third Country Certificate. Non-commercial movement of pet dogs, cats, and ferrets is permitted under the scheme provided the following conditions are met (pet rabbits and other rodents are permitted to travel within the EU – five animals per person, unless commercial importation in which case they will not be subject to a pet passport scheme):

1. the animal must have travelled from an EU (European Union) country or certain other countries that are classified as “low risk”
2. the animal must be brought in by an approved carrier on an approved route, at present in Kent this is only via Eurotunnel and Dover Port
3. the animal must be:

• • identified by microchip implant (prior to Rabies vaccination)
  • vaccinated against rabies at least 21 days before entry into the UK. The vaccination must still be effective - re-vaccination dates should be stated in the pet passport
  • dogs treated against tapeworm (Echinococcus) between 24 and 120 hours before the time of entry into the UK

4. With effect from 29 December 2014 animals must be a minimum of 12 weeks of age prior to Rabies vaccination
5. passports issued from 29 December 2014 are required to have fixed, clear, laminate strips applied to key information - the identity details of the dog, including its date of birth and microchip number and each subsequent vaccination. This is to preserve the information and prevent alterations. Passports must be issued by a vet, who should be identified in the passport.

3.2. Commercial animal travel

3.2.1. A person importing dogs or cats as trade will need to be in possession of a health certificate signed by an official veterinarian for the animals which must be in English. These animals will also need to comply with the conditions as above in respect of the Pet Travel Scheme.

3.3. Police powers

3.3.1. Section 60 Animal Health Act 1981 provides a power for a constable to:

• stop, detain and search any vehicle, boat or thing to which a suspected offence relates
• arrest without warrant any person obstructing an animal health inspector or divisional veterinary officer

3.3.2. Section 61 provides a power for a constable to arrest without warrant any person whom he/she reasonably suspects to be committing or has committed the following offences:

• landing or attempting to land any animal in contravention of Orders made under the Act for the purpose of preventing the introduction of Rabies into Great Britain
• failure by a person in charge of a vessel or boat, to comply with an obligation imposed on him/her under an order
• movement of any animal into, within or out of any place declared to be infected with Rabies in contravention of an order

3.3.3. Section 62 provides a power of entry to a constable by force to any vessel, boat, aircraft or vehicle of any other description for the purpose of:

• arresting a person under Section 61
• seizing an animal under an Order made for the prevention of the introduction of Rabies into Great Britain

3.3.4. The investigating authority for the offences listed above is Kent County Council Trading Standards. Upon making an arrest for any offences related to the landing of an animal Trading Standards should be contacted and they will provide help and advice as well as an investigating officer. Note that, as detailed below, KCCTS only run a telephone advisory service outside of office hours. Should an arrest be made after 5pm, at night or on a weekend advice will be provided to police officers carrying out preliminary interviews with suspected offenders and KCCTS staff will progress the investigation post-bail should this be applicable. There is no ability for KCCTS staff to attend and deal with offenders outside of office hours.

3.4. Signs and symptoms of rabid animals

3.4.1. Rabies is a fatal disease to which all mammals are potentially susceptible, including humans, if no treatment is received. The disease is classified as zoonotic, i.e can be transmitted between species, so can be transmitted from animals to humans. The most common form of transmission is via the saliva of the infected animal, for example through a bite or where the animal has licked its paws or claws and scratches a person. The signs and symptoms are varied and in the early stages may be non-specific and include lethargy, fever, vomiting, and anorexia. In later stages the following signs and symptoms may be observed:

• poor balance and coordination (ataxia)
• paralysis
• seizures
• difficulty breathing
• difficulty swallowing
• excessive salivation
• abnormal behaviour
• aggression
• self-mutilation

3.4.2. Early treatment for a person who is suspected to have contracted Rabies is essential as the disease is almost always fatal.

3.5. Actions to be taken on receipt of a report of an animal on the loose

3.5.1. Because of the serious risk to life and health which could result when a diseased animal is on the loose, the Force Control Room duty officer must be advised immediately of such an incident and a Storm log created. 

3.5.2. Officers attending and dealing with such an animal should make all efforts to isolate the animal to ensure the safety of the public and, of course, themselves and for this reason they should conduct a dynamic risk assessment. If isolation is not possible the officers must still ensure the safety of the public and themselves.

3.5.3. The FDO must also immediately inform KCCTS and make the request for an officer to attend.

3.5.4. If there are reasonable grounds to suspect the animal is rabid, the on-call Force Firearms Tactics Advisor should be informed and the attendance of authorised firearms officers requested to destroy it. (Where possible the Force Firearms Tactics Advisor and a Force Tactical Team Supervisor should attend and deal with the incident). Kent Police do possess specialist equipment such as “dog-poles,” electric shields and cages but these are only to be used by trained officer following appropriate authorisation.

3.5.5. The duty vet at the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) should be contacted on 03000 200301. The APHA (previously the SVS) is an executive agency working on behalf of the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). They work primarily to prevent and control animal disease across Great Britain as well as to safeguard animal health and welfare as well as public health. They are also responsible for advising policy-making departments and providing a veterinary evidence base for animal health and welfare policy decisions.

3.5.6. Trading Standards should be notified for advice and support. During office hours the following number should be contacted: 03000 412020. Out of hours APHA can be contacted on 01304 209175.

3.5.7. Out of office hours KCCTS provide a telephone only service on 03000 419191 which provides the following support:

• advice on animal health
• advice on any steps necessary to secure evidence urgently
  service of documents by e-mail (including animal quarantine and seizure of goods)
• coordination of necessary urgent actions (which may include getting animals transported to quarantine)
• make arrangements for physical attendance during working hours

3.5.8. If the animal evades capture or is lost then KCCTS will notify DEFRA who will decide what action to take.

3.6. Actions to be taken upon suspected Rabies contamination

3.6.1. If an officer believes he or she may have been infected with the Rabies virus they should ensure the area of any wound is cleaned thoroughly with soap and water and scrubbed under running tap water for five minutes. The officer should then go immediately to the nearest accident and emergency unit and explain to medical staff what has happened. A course of accelerated immunisation is available in addition to immunity boosting treatment. An officer who suspects that a person has become infected with the rabies virus must ensure that the person is advised to immediately go to the nearest A&E unit, if necessary the person may be taken there in a police vehicle.

3.7. Actions to be taken by an officer who locates an animal that he or she believes should be subject to quarantine

3.7.1. A list of animals that are subject to quarantine is provided below. However, should an officer be in any doubt then he/she must presume that it is subject to quarantine. On location of such an animal the following procedure must be followed:

• the FDO must be notified as must KCCTS who provide the services outlined above
• the officer must secure the animal and prevent it from coming into contact with the public and with other animals. This may mean keeping the animal in a vehicle, even a police vehicle, and for a period of time under conditions which would not normally be acceptable. If the animal cannot be secured by the police, consideration should be given to calling on the services of the local authority dog warden
• KCCTS will advise on decontamination of vehicles where the animal may have been
• as above, if the animal evades capture or is lost then KCCTS will advise DEFRA
• unless there is good reason for not doing so a person who is suspected of committing an offence of landing an animal which has not been in quarantine (or which has not been transported under the PETS scheme) must be arrested.

3.8 Animals subject to quarantine 

• Anteaters
• Armadillos
• Ayeayes
• Baboons
• Badgers
• Bandicoots
• Bats
• Bears
• Bushbabies
• Camels
• Capuchins
• Cavies
• Cheetahs
• Civets
• Coatis
• Cuscuses
• Dasyeres
• Desmans
• Echnidas
• Elephant Shrew
• Flying Foxes
• Flying Lemurs
• Foxes
• Genets
• Gibbons
• Golden Moles
• Great Apes
• Hedgehogs
• Howlers
• Hyenas
• Hyraxes
• Indrises
• Jackals
• Kangaroos
• Koalas
• Langurs
• Lemurs
• Leopards
• Linsags
• Lions
• Lorises
• Macaques
• Mangabeys
• Marmosets
• Marsupial Anteater
• Marsupial Mice
• Marsupail Moles
• Martens
• Mink
• Moles
• Mongoose
• Monkeys
• Ocelots
• Opossums
• Otters
• Otter Shrews
• Pandas
• Phalangers
• Polecats
• Pumas
• Raccoons
• Ratels
• Rat Opossums
• Sakis
• Shrews
• Sifakas
• Skunks
• Sloths
• Solenodons
• Squirrel Monkey
• Tamarins
• Tarsiers
• Titis
• Tenrecs
• Tigers
• Tree Lemurs
• Tree Shrews
• Uakaris
• Wallabies
• Weasels
• Wolves
• Wombats

4. Equality Impact Assessment (EIA)

4.1. An EIA has been carried out and shows the proposals in this procedure would have no potential or actual differential impact on grounds of race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, transgender, disability, age, religion or belief or sexual orientation.

 5. Consultation

• Frontier operations - Port of Dover, Channel Tunnel Police Unit, European Operations Coquelles
• East Division
• Central Response

6. Monitoring and review

6.1. This SOP will be reviewed by the policy owner or nominated deputy every two years in consultation with Kent County Council Trading Standards to ensure it remains compliant with their policies as the primary enforcement agency.  

6.2. The next review is scheduled for February 2022.

7. Security

7.1. Kent Police have measures in place to protect the security of your data in accordance with our Information Management policy.

8. Retention and disposal of records

8.1. Kent Police will hold data in accordance with our Records Review, Retention and Disposal policy.