By Greig Watson BBC News Online, Nottingham

Strays must be held for at least seven days

Senior police officers are pressing for a change to the law which demands they help control stray dogs.

They claim the obligation diverts vital resources which could fund dozens of extra officers.

But some organisations are worried there will not be enough resources to cope if the police are allowed to wash their hands of the problem.

As one case has highlighted, these changes may force members of the public wanting to help stray animals to put them back on the street.

Cruelty cases

It is estimated 140,000 dogs stray annually, from a national population of 6.7m animals.

A stray, defined as a dog in a public place not under the control of its owner, can attack livestock, be a menace on roads and even harm people.

When Emma Colclough, from Codnor in Derbyshire, tried to get help with a stray dog found one evening, she was dismayed by what she found.

TOUGH JOB We recognise (the police) have far better things to do than deal with homeless dogs but part of their budget is for that purpose Mark Berrill, National Dog Warden Association

After lengthy phone calls she was told Amber Valley Borough Council's dog warden only worked office hours and the nearest police station prepared to take the animals was in Derby, which was more than 10 miles away.

For many people, their first instinct would be to call an animals welfare charity, like the RSPCA.

But, as Joceline Tran, Senior Local Government Advisor for the RSPCA, points out, this is a common mistake.

She said: "We cannot take in strays. The law is very specific about who has responsibility for these animals.

"The RSPCA is concerned with neglect and cruelty cases.

"It is the local authorities, the town and district councils, who share the work with the police."

The police role in dealing with stray dogs is written into the statue book by the Dogs Act 1906.

In 2002 this fact needed to be reiterated after some police stations had refused to take strays.

While the legal situation is clarified, no-one, it seems, is happy.

Inadequate resources

Mark Berrill, of the National Dog Warden Association, said: "Police aren't keen on taking in dogs.

"I have heard of people taking stray dogs they have found to a police station and being told to take it to a dog warden.

"Some stations tried to get rid of their kennels. While that problem has been sorted we don't have the best working relationship with the police.

"We recognise they have far better things to do than deal with homeless dogs but part of their budget is for that purpose."

Mr Berrill, who works for Mansfield District Council, deals with about 300 stray dogs a year.

He said: "Local authorities have no problem being the sole body to deal with strays, but we need the resources to do it.

INDELIBLE IDENTITY We think a voluntary programme of pet identity chipping would be enormously useful in tackling the problem of strays Joceline Tran, RSPCA

"While many councils provide a 24 hour strays service, there is no legal obligation to do so. Some only work office hours.

"If you find a dog late at night and there is no police station nearby, you would have to either take it in or put it back on to the street."

The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) has reminded all forces that, at the moment, they still have an obligation to deal with strays, even though they are pushing for change.

The police estimate it costs them about £1.8m a year to deal with stray dogs, an amount they suggest equates to 61 extra police officers.

An ACPO spokesman said: "We have long considered that stray dogs are not a matter for the police.

"We feel this is an onerous burden on officers and resources.

"Changing this is a matter for legislation and we have made it clear to the government we are looking for a change in the law."

A report in September 2002 on reducing police bureaucracy backed this change but insisted no resources be diverted from the police to local authorities as a result.

Ms Tran said: "We think a voluntary programme of pet identity chipping would be enormously useful in tackling the problem of strays."