Police have responded to outrage on social media after officers were seen leading a dog away from a homeless man in Carmarthen town centre.
The incident happened on Thursday afternoon in the Red Street area of Carmarthen.
The man, who is a Romanian national, can often be seen sitting outside a shop on nearby Dark Gate.
Eye-witnesses said they noticed the Staffordshire Bull Terrier being led away by police officers, which led to the homeless man pleading with them in tears to let him have his dog back.
“I was by the market in town and I saw police officers taking this dog away,” said Bev Harris, a fishmonger from Carmarthen.
“I recognised the dog, he belongs to a homeless man who usually sits around the corner on Dark Gate.
"He’s been there for a long time and one thing I know is that he really cares for his dog and looks after him.
"So, when I saw the police taking the dog away I thought ‘that’s strange’.
“A couple of minutes later the man came round the corner, pleading with them to let him have his dog back. He was in tears. He was crying ‘please, please’.
“They went to the car park outside the Stag’s Head pub and he was put in handcuffs. I asked the police why they were taking the dog away and they said I could have it, but I have a dog already so I couldn’t take in another one.”
Miss Harris says the dog is often seen around the area and that he is “really well looked after”.
“It’s very sad to see these homeless dogs with homeless people,” she added. “But this one is taken care of and he’s obviously very close to his owner, and he’s really friendly, that’s why it was a shock to see what happened.”
People soon took to social media to vent their anger, saying that the police officers had been unfair to the man and his pet.
What the police say about what happened
Police have explained that officers, who were on foot patrol in the town centre on Thursday afternoon, approached the man and his dog after complaints from members of the public that the dog was jumping up at passers-by and causing “considerable concern”.
They say reaction to the incident on social media has been misleading and have said their intention was to help the homeless man, who they described as vulnerable, not to punish him.
They explained that the homeless man’s limited English made what should have been a routine operation more complicated, and that the homeless man became “increasingly irate” because he did not realise that they were trying to help.
A spokeswoman for Dyfed-Powys Police: “We are aware of a video clip circulating on Facebook of an incident in Carmarthen town centre yesterday involving a homeless man and his dog.
"The speculation revolving around this clip is very misleading, and doesn’t accurately reflect the event.
“So we’d like to make everyone aware that this is actually what happened. Two of our officers were out on foot patrol in the town centre, and numerous members of the public approached them with concerns about a homeless Romanian national and his dog which was not on a lead.
"The worried members of public said that the dog was jumping up at people and the behaviour was causing considerable concern.
"Acting on this information, the officers found the man after he’d left the dog unattended. Both officers were very concerned for the welfare of the man and his dog.”
'The man was clearly vulnerable'
The officers ended up placing handcuffs on the homeless man, but he was not arrested.
This was only done, according to police, to try to bring the situation under control.
The force spokeswoman added: “The man was clearly vulnerable, so they offered to take him and his dog to the station so that they could contact charities and housing support to try and find them shelter or emergency accommodation.
"Because of the language barrier, he didn’t understand what was being offered, which caused him to get increasingly irate.
"The officers spent time trying to explain to him, and also that they couldn’t leave the dog with him if he was unable to control it as it posed a danger to the public.
"He got increasingly agitated, and the officers feared that this may cause the dog to get agitated too, so after careful consideration they applied handcuffs to ensure their safety whilst trying to get him safely to the police station with the dog.
“Whilst this was going on, several onlookers asked if they could look after the dog, and one woman in particular seemed keen – so the officers explored this option with her.
"But they decided it was best and safest to keep the dog with him and get them both to the police station, so that it could be explained to him fully through his own language that all we wanted was to get him shelter and hot food.”
When the man and his dog got to the police station, they were both given a drink and accommodation was arranged for them in Swansea.
The man was said to be delighted when the language barrier was breached and he understood what had happened.
The spokeswoman added: “The man asked the police to pass on his thanks to the public of Carmarthen for the kindness they have showed him whilst he’s been in the town.”
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