ÔDOG poop policeÕ will not be patrolling the streets of Petersfield, East Hampshire district councillors decided this week.

Instead, councillors are keen to educate dog owners to take responsibility for their petsÕ messes by talking to owners and supplying the equipment they need to clean up after their dogs.

The ÔpoliceÕ option was one of five issues up for discussion at the central area community committee on Tuesday night, where dog fouling was billed as the big themed discussion of the month with members of the public.

But councillors were disappointed to find themselves with only five members of the public to told the discussion.

So they concluded that although there were some vociferous complaints about dog fouling it was not a major problem in East Hampshire.

Members heard that neighbouring Waverley Borough Council had been slated recently because officers were perceived to be Òleaping out of the bushesÓ to catch dog owners who allowed their dogs to foul.

Andrew Pattie told the meeting: ÒThe idea of becoming a dog poo police state is rather heavy-handed and I donÕt agree with fining.Ó

He said it was clear that dog fouling was not a major issue in East Hampshire because there was no one in the council chamber to discuss it.

He thought that coming up with new initiatives was not appropriate when only four dog owners had been caught and had fixed penalties for allowing their dogs to foul last year.

Sue Halstead said dog owners needed to be educated not to let their dogs cause a nuisance, not fined.

Teresa Jamieson added: ÔI would far rather we went out and handed dog owners the equipment they needed and told them what we wanted them to do. Then you are reaching the people who are the defaulters and educating them.Ó

Hilary Ayer told councillors they were approaching the problem from the wrong end. She said it would be better to educate the dogs to perform in their own gardens before they were taken for a walk.

Councillors said it would be helpful if the dog warden varied the hours of his patrol and targeted areas where members of the public pinpointed problems.

But they said they were not in favour of authorising trained members and employees of town and parish councils to issue fixed penalties on their behalf.

Although they agreed this would increase the number of eyes watching out for the offences, they believed many parishes, especially those in rural areas, would not welcome the move.

Mark Reed, head of environmental health, said it appeared that the size of the problem in East Hampshire at present warranted dramatic changes in the councilÕs approach.