Animal Welfare: Children
2026-07-12 · Home Office · 18503 · Official question
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether police forces are required to refer incidents of animal cruelty involving people under the age of 18 to a) safeguarding agencies and b) Youth Offending Teams.
Answer
Police forces are operationally independent from Government. Chief Constables and their officers are responsible for determining what action is appropriate in individual cases, including when information should be shared with relevant safeguarding partner...