Patrick Bryant is now sometimes anxious around dogs
Patrick Bryant was bitten by a dog in the former Hessle Road police station.(Image: Hudgell Solicitors)
An IT worker has described the scary moment he was attacked by a police dog while working at the former Hessle Road station. Patrick Bryant was working inside the empty former Humberside Police facilities when the police dog, off its leash came across him.
The building was presumed empty by police handlers but on discovering Patrick, the dog lunged at him causing various injuries. The 43 year-old father of four sustained a puncture wound to his left arm and injuries to his right index finger and left knee.
Patrick said: “It was all very bizarre. The police station was essentially like a ghost town – abandoned stuff everywhere – as they were moving to another site. I was in the communication room with a third-party telephone engineer when I heard a noise at the door. It sounded like someone shouting.
“We’d been in there for an hour and a half and I was waiting for someone to take over – I just thought it was him. I opened the door and the dog just took off and went for me. I didn’t have a clue how to react, but it felt savage at the time and I was very, very scared – as anyone would be.”
Patrick, who is from Paull, said he still struggles with psychological issues following the incident. He added: “I’ve got a Labrador who wouldn’t hurt a fly, but, even now, I still get occasionally anxious when he makes a sudden movement or jumps on to the sofa.
“I’m dubious about all dogs now, in fairness, and always cross to the other side of the road when I see one coming towards me with their owner. Within seconds of it happening, the handler got the dog off me – but that’s not the point.
“The damage had already been done, and I needed to have a month off work to recover.” The network engineer resigned from the police IT department and now works elsewhere.
Humberside Police admitted liability and Patrick recently secured an £8,000 compensation package, with help from Hull’s Hudgell Solicitors. He was represented by Sarah Summers, who said: “This was a highly unusual case but one that could have had far more profound consequences. Had the dog not been dragged off Patrick as soon as possible, his injuries would have been far more severe.
“Patrick was badly let down by Humberside Police on numerous levels – the most striking of which being a complete ignorance to think anyone was in the building at the time. At the bare minimum, employers should offer members of staff a safe place of work.
“That he was even allowed to come into contact with a police dog is an utter breach of duty of care. It is of little comfort to Patrick, but we were satisfied to have at least settled the case on his behalf and happy he is now in employment elsewhere.”
In a statement, Humberside Police said: “The safety of everyone who works for Humberside Police, including external contractors, is a priority for us, and we take our duty of care extremely seriously. On the day of the incident, our dog handlers were undertaking one of their routine training exercises at Hessle Road Police Station, which is used as a dedicated dog training facility.
“As part of standard preparation, the officers carried out a full and thorough search of the building to confirm no other people were present before retrieving the dogs from the cars. Whilst the team were at the back of the building, two engineers attended the site via the front entrance to access an IT server room and undertake work.
“Officers re- entered the building with police dogs and carried out a training scenario designed to reflect real-life situations, including clear verbal warnings to indicate the presence of a police dog. One of the engineers stepped out of the server room and the dog barked to alert officers to the presence of the man. Understandably, the man reacted to the loud bark, and the dog responded, in accordance with their training, by biting him.
“The dog was immediately recalled and first aid was provided to the man by the dog handlers. A full review of the incident was completed, resulting in strengthened on-site measures, including additional signage at the front of the building to reinforce existing controls, and ensure whoever is scheduled to be on site is aware of police dog training exercises in progress.
“A voluntary referral was made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), and they concluded that no referral was necessary. The case was therefore handled by our Legal Services Unit and Professional Standards Department to come to the settlement agreement of compensation which was accepted by both parties.”
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