Prime Minister Boris Johnson has given his backing to a pet theft taskforce to tackle anyone who is “malicious” enough to steal a dog.

Mr Johnson said that while some people may think a surge in dog thefts during the pandemic as just a “second order” offence, it actually can cause “huge pain and grief to the victims”.

In an article in the Mail on Sunday, he wrote: “At present this crime is far too often dismissed as relatively trivial – on a par, say, with shoplifting” but Mr Johnson disagrees with this view.

Lord Chancellor Robert Buckland has set up a pet theft taskforce to deal properly with a surge in thefts which this year has seen Hertfordshire Police recover 27 dogs and make three arrests while 83 dogs have been returned and six arrests made in Suffolk.

Mr Johnson adds: “If you are cynical and nasty enough to steal a dog, in an organised gang, then you will almost certainly be party to other types of crime as well.

“This is a fight that can be won.”