Inspectorate Powers
RSPCA Cymru is calling for our inspectors to be granted statutory powers under sections 10, 18, 19 and 23 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006. Such action would allow our inspectors to access and rescue animals quicker and serve official welfare improvement notices.
In Wales, we currently have 30 inspectors and animal rescue officers (AROs) working on the ground to save animals from cruelty and neglect. Despite our inspectors having no more legal power than any other member of the public, it is often thought that we can enter a property or seize animals, without the support of others.
While our inspectors and AROs are able to attend to complaints of animal cruelty that have been reported to us by the public, we cannot remove animals in distress without owner's permission or a police warrant. By extension, we have no formal powers to collate the evidence needed to commence our invesitgations process, including witness statements, CCTV and photographs.
Providing the RSPCA with statutory powers would bring us in line with other organisations across the British Isles such as the Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) and the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA). Inspectors working on behalf of these charities have the power to search and enter properties under warrant, seize animals and issue Animal Welfare Notices.
We therefore hope that the Welsh Government will work with us to progress this issue, as such action could enable our inspectors to be better equipped to carry out their important duties more efficiently. Providing our officers with statutory powers could also enable us to work in the way the public expects, while ensuring that we are able to reach the animals that need us the most.