Met cleared of wrongdoing over dogs shot dead

The Metropolitan Police has been cleared by the police watchdog of wrongdoing over its handling of an incident in which two dogs were shot dead and a man was Tasered.

Police found a woman suffering from leg injuries after being attacked by a dog in Poplar, east London, on 7 May 2023.

One video showed a group of officers holding a catcher pole, riot shield and gun approaching Louie Turnbull whose dogs police say "were agitated and barking".

"We found no indication that any officers behaved in a manner which would justify disciplinary action or had committed a criminal offence," the Independent Office for Police Conduct concluded.

The watchdog added that it asked the Met and City of London Police, which also responded to the incident at Limehouse Cut, "to consider the availability and demand for dog handlers, and whether their current resourcing is adequate".

In November 2023, Turnbull, 46, was sentenced to 14 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months, after pleading guilty to owning two dangerously out of control dogs.

At the time of the incident on Commercial Road in Poplar, on 7 May, Turnbull was already banned from owning dogs for 20 years.

The court order was made in November 2019, following a similar incident for which he also received a suspended sentence.

Det Ch Supt James Conway, said: "The investigation found the officers faced a really challenging situation and made numerous attempts to get the owner of the aggressive animals - after they had attacked a woman and her dog - to surrender them to prevent further injury to anyone.

"The officers demonstrated impressive restraint and bravery in trying to resolve the situation in the face of the owner repeatedly refusing to comply, and only took further action when they were left with no choice after the dogs came free of the man's grip.

"Parts of the incident were filmed and posted on social media and we know how much distress this matter caused.

"None of us would wish to see injury to any animal and that includes our officers, who only acted to ensure the safety of everyone involved."