Animal Cops

Animal cruelty is a serious crime, however in NSW, the majority of investigations and prosecutions are carried out by private charities. The NSW Police force are authorised under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1979 to investigate and prosecute animal cruelty alongside the RSPCA and Animal Welfare League, but police often report feeling unequipped or unsupported to do so.

The Police can and should play a greater role in enforcing animal cruelty laws, particularly given the well-known link between violence against animals and violence against humans.

Our Plan 

It is time to bring animal justice into the 21st century and join countries like Sweden, Italy, Canada, the Netherlands and a number of US states in overhauling our approach to animal cruelty enforcement.

Police must be supported to investigate high level crimes involving animal cruelty, and to deal with complex cases that involve both human and animal abuse.

The AJP will seek to establish a specialist division of the NSW Police Force: the Animal Crimes Squad

•   The Animal Crimes Squad would provide a specialist animal crime response to support Police Area Commands across the state. This includes the investigation of the physical abuse and neglect of animals as well as complex serial animal abuse matters.  They would have oversight of an Animal Protection Registry (APR) `of convicted animal offenders. 
•   Animal Crimes Investigation Teams would be established to conduct proactive investigations into high risk offenders and provide on-call advice and/or assistance to policing commands and specialist areas on a 24/7 statewide basis.