The number of vicious dog attacks on people has more than doubled in the West Midlands since the pandemic, new data reveals. There were a total of 1,325 out-of-control dog attacks causing injury offences recorded by West Midlands Police in 2025. That is equivalent to more than three every day.
It also marked a three per cent increase compared to 2024 when there were 1,281 attacks logged. In 2023 there were 1,378 and in 2022 there were 1,110. But the increase since the pandemic is even greater. Back in 2020, the police force recorded less than half the number of 2025 - a total of 545 incidents of out-of-control dogs causing injury.
The situation in the West Midlands is similar to that of England and Wales as a whole, with the number of dog attacks 'almost doubling' since lockdown. Across England and Wales in 2025, there were at least 29,400 out-of-control dog attacks causing injury offences recorded by police. That is equivalent to 81 a day. It is a five per cent increase compared to 2024 when there were 28,000 attacks logged. In 2023 it was 27,000 and in 2022 it was 21,700, the figures show.
The stats were released through exclusive Freedom of Information requests made to every police force in the country. However, five forces either failed to reply or rejected the request.
The number of people going to A&E due to dog bites has also been on the rise since the pandemic. There were 10,905 A&E admissions in England in the year ending March 2025. That was down slightly from 10,924 in 2023/24, but was still the second highest number on record. It was up from 9,027 back in 2019/20, according to official figures from the NHS.
RSPCA and Government Response
Dr Sam Gaines, Head of Companion Animals for the RSPCA, said: "It is absolutely heartbreaking that serious bite incidents are continuing to increase - underlining that current legislation simply isn't working and has been failing public safety for too long. The fact that incidents like these persist highlights that the UK Government urgently needs to adopt a different approach, towards preventing dangerous behaviours, rather than focusing on the dog's individual breed."
A Government spokesperson said: "The ban on XL Bullies is there to protect public safety and we expect all XL Bully owners to comply with the strict conditions. Ongoing dog attacks show we need to do more to protect public safety. We will continue to encourage responsible dog ownership across all breeds of dog and to consider whether the current dog control rules are sufficient to ensure communities are protected."
