TOTTENHAM police officers have been put in charge of tackling problems with dangerous dogs and irresponsible dog ownership in Haringey.

Bruce Grove Safer Neighbourhood Team was hit with a wave of complaints from residents late last year, of dogs running loose on parks, the number of dangerous and banned dog breeds on the rise and people fearing they or their pets may be attacked.

Sergeant Matt Casey leads the team which is now the borough's first response for problems with dogs.

He said: “For the first time, Haringey has its own problem-solving approach to dogs out of control and prohibited dogs. It has fallen on our heads to implement it.”

He said the team is tackling three main areas - irresponsible owners letting their dogs run wild and potentially endangering others, dog breeds which are banned by law, and, “most seriously” said Sgt Casey, dogs being bred for fighting.

While police say the problem of dangerous dogs is not as severe in Haringey as it is in other London boroughs, this initiative will help officers deal with issues quickly and without having to call out the Met's Status Dog Unit.

The team began its new focus in January and is building a network of responsible dog owners, vet practices and residents who can help them identify and deal with repeat offenders.

Among the successes achieved so far is a woman from Tottenham caught with a Pitbull cross who has been banned from keeping animals for five years.

Sgt Casey said she had the dangerous dog and a legal boxer kept in “horrific” conditions, and added: “The back yard was covered in empty tins and faeces, the dogs were malnourished, and the boxer had a skin condition. Everything wrong with keeping a dog was there.”

One of the Bruce Grove team, PC Kerry Davies, is being trained up to be a specialist in identifying and dealing with dangerous dogs, as part of the efforts to improve the borough's response to the problem.

Sgt Casey said: “In Haringey, we don't have an epidemic of dangerous dogs. But we do have a minority of people that are actively possessing illegal dogs and a minority of people who can't control their dogs which has in the past led to injuries.

“People in other parts of the country have been horrifically injured and it is something we can't let happen in Haringey.”

If you have information on dangerous, banned or out of control dogs in Haringey, contact Sgt Casey and his team on 07920 233 789.