North Yorkshire Police have apologised after a police dog killed a pet rabbit during a search for suspected thieves in York. The incident occurred at a property on Bell Farm Avenue on 9 April, when officers deployed the dog to help locate three men wanted for stealing power tools from a car.
The rabbit, which was kept in the garden, was grabbed by the police dog and died from its injuries after being taken to a vet. Sergeant Simon Whitby, head of the force's dog section, expressed regret for the distress caused to the rabbit's owner and her family.
Sergeant Whitby said: 'We all feel terrible for the woman and her family and we have apologised profusely for the distress this has caused. The poor rabbit was completely out of sight when the dog handler checked the garden during the search for one of the suspects. The police dog simply acted on its natural instincts and grabbed hold of the rabbit.'
Following a review of the incident, Sergeant Whitby stated he was 'satisfied that this was a lawful and justified deployment of the police dog'. The dog was ordered to release the rabbit, but it had already sustained fatal injuries.
Two 18-year-old men from York were arrested during the search and later released on conditional police bail. A third suspect, a 19-year-old also from York, was arrested the following day in connection with the theft.
