Laws giving extra powers to councils to control dogs could

be used in Croydon to nip aggressive behaviour encouraged by

their owners in the bud.

Cllr Steve O'Connell, the council's cabinet member for

safety and cohesion, is concerned about "an emerging problem"

across London in which mainly youngsters are using dogs to

intimidate people.

And while Cllr O'Connell says he is not aware of a

particular problem in Croydon he wants to look at ways of

taking preemptive action to stop it occurring here.

The council is likely to examine powers it has to issue dog

control orders and it is expected a report on policy options

will be issued in the autumn.

The orders can be used to take action on a range of issues

ranging from dog fouling to keeping dogs under control.

Under the orders councils can ban dogs from specific areas

like parks and limit the number of dogs allowed onto a piece of

land at any one time.

Cllr O'Connell said he needed to study the powers available

and take advice before coming to any conclusion about how to

use them.

But he doesn't want to see 'dog no go' areas created in

Croydon.

He said: "I am concerned about looking after the interests

of responsible dog owners and the welfare of their animals.

"I am not comfortable with the idea of a blanket ban on dogs

from certain pieces of land.

"I would, however, like to be able to take action against

people who it has been proven have used their dogs in an

aggressive way against other people."