The Scottish Dog Control Database has gone live, thanks to the work behind the scenes of the Digital Public Services (DPS) team at the Improvement Service.
The DPS team have been involved with the Scottish Government project from the start, developing a successful proof of concept in 2021, before enhancing and improving the capacity of the Scottish Dog Control Database in its current format.
The database, which has been developed in response to demand and support from local authorities, brings together Dog Control Notices from across Scotland into a centralised online database that is accessible by councils and Police Scotland.
The creation of a Scottish Dog Control Database was also part of a commitment in the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government, which has been completed within the defined timescale thanks to the innovative solutions offered by the IS and through funding pledges delivered by the Minister for Community Safety.
Out of control dogs can cause fear or even serious injury to Scottish citizens and their dogs. When dealing with an incident, local authorities and Police Scotland need to understand the background on the offending dog, such as whether there are any existing Dog Control Notices in place, to make informed decisions and apply the correct restrictions. The Scottish Dog Control Database makes these checks quicker and easier, helping to keep our communities safe.
Martin Brown, Head of Digital Public Services, said:
“The Improvement Service has been involved with the development of this project from the very start, and the team behind the project deserve huge praise for their hard work to get the Scottish Dog Control Database up and running.
“The Scottish Dog Control Database is going to make a real difference to community safety, enabling councils and Police Scotland to check the background of any dogs which are cause for concern.”
Fiona Gray, Project Manager for the Scottish Dog Control Database, added:
“The Digital Public Services team has worked to develop and improve the Scottish Dog Control Database at every stage, from the initial proposal through proof of concept to the creation of the live dcn.scot website, available and accessible to all Scottish councils and Police Scotland.”
Bringing together the dog control notice records of all local authorities into a centralised national database will be a valuable tool in helping to enforce the dog control notice regime.
Jim Wilson, Licensing Team Leader at the Scottish Government’s Criminal Law, Practice and Licensing Unit, said:
“Working with justice agencies and local authorities, the Scottish Government wants to keep communities safe from irresponsible dog owners and their out of control dogs. Bringing together the dog control notice records of all local authorities into a centralised national database will be a valuable tool in helping to enforce the dog control notice regime.
“The Scottish Government is very grateful for the all of the work undertaken by the Improvement Service (IS) to ensure successful delivery of the national database, which included extensive engagement and dialogue between the two organisations.
“A special mention must also go to local authorities, Police Scotland and the Information Commissioner’s Office for their input, support and engagement in helping to ensure the system was shaped to meet user needs and data protection requirements.
“The beauty of the system is that it has been developed with ‘future proofing’ in mind to enable the database, if appropriate, to be scaled up to do more and support new policy changes achieved through future legislation.”