Police to return dog seized after Tampere station assault

Police in Tampere plan to return a dog seized as an alleged instrument of crime after it bit a person during a suspected assault at the city’s railway station on Wednesday evening, Yle reported.

The incident took place at about 7pm. Three adult men were taken into custody on suspicion of aggravated assault and attempted aggravated assault. One of them is the dog’s owner.

Knives were also present during the confrontation, but no one suffered serious injuries. Police said there was no evidence that anyone had been injured by a bladed weapon. They have not disclosed which allegations apply to each suspect.

The dog was taken to an animal care facility after being seized. Police crime superintendent Pasi Nieminen said seizing a dog as an instrument of crime was rare.

Police intend to return the dog to its owner as soon as the investigation is complete, partly to avoid high costs for keeping it at the facility. However, the dog cannot be returned to the owner while he remains in custody, and police are investigating whether someone else could care for it.

A court could later decide the dog’s fate and could, for example, order it to be euthanised. Police do not have the authority to make such an order, Nieminen said.

Police believe the dog is not dangerous to other people and that the confrontation at the railway station was an isolated incident.