DOG thefts in West Yorkshire are down by more than a quarter from last year.

The latest figures were announced by West Yorkshire Police's Wildlife & Rural Crime on its Facebook page.

There were 77 dog theft offences recorded from the start of this year until September 26.

This has dropped by 27 per cent from 105 recorded offences over the same period in 2023.

The year before there were 144 offences, meaning the amount of dog thefts recorded by police has almost halved in just two years.

A spokesperson for the Wildlife & Rural Crime Unit said alongside the statistics: "Good news on dog thefts. Dog theft continues to fall across the force area.

"Whilst we believe one theft is one too many, the figures continue to fall across the force area."

Wildlife Crime Officers (WCOs), along with their normal duties, volunteer to investigate wildlife offences.

The WCOs also attend and investigate linked crime types such as rural crime, plant theft (heavy machinery) and heritage crime, which includes theft from religious and historic sites.