POLICE responded to three reports of dogs dangerously out of control across South Yorkshire, including one in Barnsley during a 13-minute period over the weekend.

On Saturday at 1.10pm, police received two separate calls reporting an XL Bully dangerously out of control in the Hillsborough area.

From the information received from the callers, it was alleged that the dog had bitten a woman on her arm and had shown aggression to a second person walking their dog.

On armed officers’ arrival they located a loose dog, with no owner in sight. As officers got out of their car, the dog immediately ran towards them, and the decision was made to destroy it.

While still on scene, six minutes later, at 1.16pm, armed officers were deployed to a report of two loose dogs in Doncaster, alleged to be chasing members of the public in an aggressive manner.

Just seven minutes later, at 1.23pm, armed officers were deployed to Barnsley to reports of a man being attacked by two loose dogs, suffering minor injuries. Two dogs were seized and remain in police kennels.

Leading the work on dangerous dogs in South Yorkshire, Chief Inspector Emma Cheney said: “We are continuing to see unprecedented demand on our force from dogs causing harm and fear across South Yorkshire. We have sadly had serious injuries and fatalities within South Yorkshire caused by dogs, and recent events across the country have also seen children killed by family pets; owners must step up.

“Following the incident in Sheffield, we are aware of allegations and speculation on social media and would like to confirm the dog was loose at the time, with no owner close-by when the decision was made to destroy the dog.

“I would also like to remind you that officers put themselves in harm’s way every day on the frontline to protect and serve their communities. They are highly trained, professional, and skilled people and their decisions are based on risk and threat, with their own and public safety as a priority. They are also human; they have families and friends who care for them and witnessing threatening and intimidating behaviour online is not acceptable.”

CI Cheney continued: “We will always, where possible aim to safely secure and seize a dog, but unfortunately this is not always possible. We are open and transparent in our approach to dangerous dogs. This investigation is in the early stages and when we are able to share further information we will.”