Gosport police say there have been no dog thefts reported in last year in the town

Nationally there have been reports of thefts, and many stories have been posted on social media – although rarely directly from the victim of the alleged crime.

Police in Gosport have today released a statement explaining the situation in the town.

It says: ‘Over recent days, a few of you have raised concerns and asked for clarification about possible dog thefts or attempted dog thefts in the Gosport area.

‘These concerns follow various posts on social media, in which some people suggested there’s been an increase in the number of thefts over recent weeks and months.

‘In short, in the past year we have had no reports of dog theft or attempted dog theft by a stranger in Gosport.’

It comes four days after Portsmouth police said they had only had two reports of attempted dog theft and no actual theft reports since the beginning of April last year, although one French Bulldog owner in the city said she believes a man was interested in snatching her pet last weekend.

The statement goes on to say that there have been two recent reports of suspicious activity, in which two dog owners had concerns about people while they were out walking their dogs - but that the people involved did not even approach the dog walkers, let alone try to steal their dogs.

The statement adds: ‘Of course, we don’t know if there’s been other incidents which haven’t been reported to us, but we can only base the advice we give on the information and reports we receive.

‘While we would always urge people to be vigilant in relation to any potential crime, it does appear that people’s concern regarding this particular crime is not reflected in the figures and reality of what is actually occurring.

‘Dog theft is a crime that does occur nationally, but not at the rate people often believe, and certainly not within Gosport.’

Anyone who is a victim of dog theft or has seen anything they think is suspicious can report it to police by calling 101.