ANIMAL cruelty laws should set the bar much higher for what constitutes neglect with pet owners required to take proper responsibility for the emotional, environmental and health needs of their animals – and not just give them food and water, according to the head of Jersey’s oldest welfare charity.
Tom Noel, the chief executive of the JSPCA, said that under current legislation owners only had to make sure that their animals were fed and watered, with other forms of potential neglect much harder to take action on.
He explained, for example, that a dog might be locked in a shed all day, with no walks, love or company, but the situation would not trigger an automatic right for the animal to be seized if its nutrition was provided for.
The comments come following the launch of a consultation by the States Vet, who is looking at reviewing and overhauling the Island’s 20-year-old anti-cruelty legislation. Mr Noel said that he wanted the charity to bring together the disparate and often unconnected people and organisations involved in the care of animals so that they could speak with one strong voice, the JSPCA being the unifying conduit through which to set out concerns and opportunities during the consultation.
He stressed that he was not telling the government what they should do at this stage as he still wanted to speak to many other people before making a final submission, but he said that there were some deficiencies in the current law.
The developments were outlined at the JSPCA’s strategy evening on Thursday, where members of the committee and chief vet Susana Ramos also discussed the organisation’s progress, challenges and plans.
Mr Noel, who stepped into the role of interim chief executive ten weeks ago, said that he would suggest the creation of an anonymous hotline for people wanting to report suspicions of animal cruelty in confidence and “without fear of backlash”.
He also wants the consultation to consider the best-practice standards of welfare, which require pet owners to provide for the nutritional, environmental, health, behavioural and mental health of their animals.
“We are looking to work closely with the States Vet,” Mr Noel said. “The JSPCA, the States Vet, the States police, the Constables and the honorary police all need to be involved in this. The JSPCA’s role is, I believe, quite clear. We are there to look after animal welfare, but we are also there to build working and supportive relationships with owners.”
He explained that the charity already supported owners, adding that if any were struggling to feed themselves due to financial issues, for example, the JSPCA often stepped in to offer support in various ways.
Under current legislation, only the States Vet can seize animals from licensed premises without a warrant – with JSPCA inspectors requiring a warrant and police assistance to remove animals from private properties. He said that the review should consider the hurdles and barriers to the efficient and effective protection of animals.
Mr Noel described the reform as a “once-in-a-decade opportunity” to modernise the law and strengthen protections for the future.
Discussions also focused on improving collaboration between animal welfare organisations.
Mr Noel, who is a trustee on the board of Dementia Jersey, said: “We’ve been quite closed off from the community of animal welfare charities that exist in the Island.
“I think there’s an opportunity for animal sanctuaries and other areas who may be able to give us a helping hand. And we shouldn’t be too proud to ask for that.”
JSPCA president Ben Shenton also called for better co-ordination between animal welfare charities – saying that “too many charities work in isolation”.
The JSPCA plans to open its facilities for events, training, and partnerships to make the charity a “hub for the animal welfare community”.
The charity has faced a number of years of financial struggle after being rocked by the actions of its former chief executive.
Major Stephen Coleman was jailed for seven years in 2020 for defrauding the charity of £400,000 to pay himself a three-figure salary and fund a lavish lifestyle.
During sentencing at the Royal Court, the judge ordered that everything Coleman owned – including his house and other high-value possessions – must be sold to pay the charity back at least part of what the former army officer and St Lawrence Centenier stole.
The charity was lucky to survive the ordeal after financial reports from the period of Coleman’s dismissal in 2017 showed the JSPCA was carrying debts of nearly £1 million.
It remains Jersey’s most serious charity fraud.
Mr Shenton assured attendees that the JSPCA was now financially stable.
“We are now in a very good place. We’ve got money in the bank, and we need to move forward to the next level,” he said.
The JSPCA is developing new initiatives, including a partnership with Andium Homes to support pet owners in financial difficulty, a “home to home” rehoming service to reduce the need for animals to enter the shelter, and an improved social media presence to connect animals with adopters.
A property masterplan is in the pipeline to improve the JSPCA’s facilities, with potential projects including a training centre and a café.
Mr Noel said: “We have quite a large site, and it needs a bit of money spent on it. We’re in a position where we will be able to do that to improve the lives of the animals that stay with us and the people who dedicate their careers to us.”
