Police have issued images of dogs in the hope of tracing their ownerPolice have issued images of dogs in the hope of tracing their owner
Police have issued images of dogs in the hope of tracing their owner

Police release pictures of dozens of suspected stolen dogs in an attempt to find owners - part 1

Police have released images of dozens of dogs which are thought to have been stolen in an attempt to track down their owners.

More than 80 dogs of various breeds and ages were found at West Meadows in Ipswich where police, assisted by partner agencies, executed warrants on Saturday 20 March.

It is not known where the dogs were stolen from, and officers from Suffolk Police have been working with other forces across the country to trace the owners. It is thought some may be from the east of England.

However, due to the lack of identifying features and information, the process has proved to be challenging. As yet, none of the animals have been reunited with their owners.

Now the investigation team is asking potential owners, who have not contacted the constabulary previously to come forward.

Detective Chief Inspector Nicola Wallace, Senior Investigating Officer for the operation, said: “We are keen to hear from anyone who believes any of the dogs in the images may be theirs. During the last few weeks officers have been liaising with other police forces around the country, as well as conducting a number of other enquiries, in order to establish where the dogs may have originated from.”

Anyone who believes they can provide proof of ownership should email the investigation team by 24 May providing a full name, contact details and the image number which relates to the dog(s) in question. Please note, the email account will not be constantly monitored and the team will be unable to respond to any other enquiries regarding these dogs.

Only those people who have not got in touch with the constabulary previously should contact the investigation team via the email address [email protected] if they believe one or more of the dogs could be theirs. All enquiries must be made by 24 May 2021.

Proof of ownership can include the following:

Veterinary/vaccination records clearly identifying the dogs.

Pictures of the dog with any distinctive markings/scars/distinguishing features.

Any details of microchipping – however, please note, all these dogs either do not have microchips or have chips which may not be correctly registered.

Other pictures of the dog(s) which prove ownership during the dog’s life.

Any purchase details, including details of where the dog was purchased from and/or receipts.

Any records of reporting the dog(s) lost/stolen either to police or on other websites/charities.

Some dogs are grouped into possible litter groups, but this is not necessarily the case.

The public should also be aware that some of these dogs may have been lost, stolen or moved on over a period of time so they may not look exactly as they did when they were last seen.

Six people were arrested in connection with the operation in March.

A 38-year-old man, now aged 39, two 34-year-old men and three women aged 46, 41 and 35 - who are all from Ipswich - were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to steal following this operation.

They were all taken to Martlesham Police Investigation Centre for questioning and were initially released on bail until Friday 16 April, pending further enquiries.

Four of the six people – the 34-year-old man, the now aged 39-year-old man, the 41-year-old woman and the 46-year-old woman - have since had their bail date extended to Thursday 17 June.

The other two people – the 34-year-old man and the 35-year-old woman - have been released and will face no further action at this time.

However, due to the lack of identifying features and information, the process has proved to be challenging. As yet, none of the animals have been reunited with their owners.