FAQ
Data protection means you cannot release data of criminal investigations to the general public without good reason.
We agree! Holly’s Law only seeks to disclose information which is directly relevant to animal abuse/neglect to a limited number of member of the public, for the purpose of protecting animals from the risk of abuse/neglect. Holly’s Law deems this is a “pressing need” under Common Law Police Disclosure (CLPD). Police will need to receive a specific detailed request from the person requesting the information, and can only release this in specific circumstances and to individuals who need to know this information of the purpose of protecting animals.
Lack of proportionality – not all cases are serious abuse.
It is true and acknowledged there are varying degrees of animal abuse and neglect, however abuse which starts as “minor” is proven to increase to more significant types of abuse. Since April 2007 (when the Animal Welfare Act was enacted) to September 2024, the RSPCA alone has initiated 15,070 prosecutions. Holly’s Law believes any form of abuse or neglect of an animal is unacceptable regardless of the severity, and that if we can protect animals from abuse, we should take action.
The risk of harassment of those named on the disclosure.
Under Holly’s Law, any information disclosed to an individual by police will be subject to strict confidentiality rules, and those who receive the disclosure will not be permitted to share this with any other party. In some instances, the request will be made by someone who is not deemed the most suitable person to safeguard the animal. In these instances, Holly’s Law proposes that the disclosure is made to the most suitable person.
The authorities already have access to the necessary information.
Some charities such as the RSPCA do share information with police as well as conduct their own investigation’s. This is not true however of most breeders, rehoming centres or other individuals related to the care of animals.
The police do not have the capacity to keep an animal abuse register.
We know from our research on previous parliamentary campaigns a separate animal abuse register is not supported. However, Holly’s Law relies on the existing information held on the Police National Database (PND), so there is no need to any separate animal abuse registers to be created or held.