Dog owners warned as Royal Mail records 10 attacks on Peterborough posties in past year

Figures from the Royal Mail show the number of canine attacks went up by one in the city compared to the previous year.

There were three attacks recorded by staff who work at the Peterborough delivery office, one at the Peterborough Mail Centre and six at the Orton Delivery Office.

The extra incident was recorded at the Orton centre.

In Huntingdon, the number of attacks doubled, from four to eight.

There were just under 2,500 dog attacks on Royal Mail’s postmen and women across the country last year with 2,445 separate incidents reported.

Some areas of the country have now trialled a special Virtual Reality training package, which enables postmen and postwomen to become fully immersed in a photo-realistic, delivery environment to see how they would react to the threat of a dog attack. Under the programme, colleagues use a special VR headset and step into a realistic virtual scenario where they are asked to assess relevant cues that a dog may be present. They are then tested on whether they are performing all the correct steps during their delivery to ensure their safety. Royal Mail now plans to roll out this training on a wider scale across the business.

In the last year, over 1,600 (78%) of dog attacks on postal workers happened at the front door, in the garden or in the street. We are appealing to all dog owners to ‘think TWICE’ when they open the door as the postman or postwoman calls.

Dr Shaun Davis, Royal Mail Group Global Director of Safety, Health, Wellbeing & Sustainability said: “The safety of our people is of paramount importance and never more so than now as we continue to support the communities we live and work in. The coronavirus pandemic has placed an increasing reliance on our people to bring much needed supplies to and from our customers’ homes and businesses. I am pleased to see a slight decrease this year, however it is still an alarmingly high number. 47 dog attacks per week means seven per day over a six day working week. This continues to be a figure we must focus on reducing, and we ask our customers to help us with this as they have done to date.”

Dog behavioural expert, Leon Towers, said: “Our dogs don’t mean to be mean when postal workers come calling, but guarding their territory is a natural instinct for many. But a few simple things to consider in advance can ensure everyone remains safe and our furry friends don’t act in an unwelcome way through no fault of their own. Just make sure they are not in an area like the entrance hall, entrance gate or front garden, which they feel is theirs to guard when someone knocks on the door; make sure they are mentally stimulated regularly – and especially at times when the post is due to arrive.”