At first sight, dangerous dog insurance looks like a reasonable proposition.
But there is a problem.
I think it is right to christen this problem “the gang-master syndrome”.
I choose this name because the law on gang-masters is the classic example that best illustrates the problem.
Some years back, there was the ghastly incident of cockle-pickers being drowned when working for gang-masters: I am sure that some readers of this column will remember it. Following this ghastly incident, which shocked the whole nation, there was a knee-jerk reaction from the government which satisfied the calls for “action” from some quarters by creating a new law.
And what was the effect? Answer: the legitimate gang-masters who were already obeying the existing law now had to obey another law which didn’t really affect their behaviour, except that they had to fill out more forms and deal with more regulators. And the grisly, shady end of the trade, who exploit workers and were responsible for the appalling fate of the cockle-pickers, are all too likely to be unaffected — because there is a high chance that no-one actually enforces this new law against them any better than they enforced the old laws.
The latest proposals on dangerous dogs fall into exactly the same category. Mrs Charming – a frail, elderly person who happens to own a harmless example of a supposedly dangerous breed of dog – will now be subjected to considerable extra bureaucracy if the current proposals see the light of day. By contrast, Mr Thug – who terrorises his neighbours with the vicious brutes that he keeps around him – will pay no attention whatsoever to the new legislation.
And please tell me, how many readers of this column actually believe that the police are going to stop each and every owner of each and every relevant dog to find out whether the law is being enforced?
I will bet my bottom dollar that, if any checking at all goes on, it will affect the law-abiding rather than the lawless. Mr Thug will be left in peace and it will be Mrs Charming whose insurance papers are checked.