THESE are the first photographs of a police officer's arm which was mauled by a dog last week.

PC Mo Huzair, from Watford, needed surgery for deep puncture wounds to his forearm after he was bitten by the Japanese Akita last Tuesday.

It's believed the dog, which had escaped from a nearby house, was attacking a woman on Eastbury Road, when the police officer attempted to gain control of it.

PC Huzair is now recovering at home after an operation at Royal Free Hospital in London to repair the damage.

The dog, believed to be named Reggie, was later captured and is now in the care of Hertfordshire Constabulary pending the result of an investigation into the incident.

Originally bred for fighting and hunting, the Akita is the largest breed native to Japan. An Akita pup costs about £800.

A 22-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control in a public place.

Veterinary director at the Dogs Trust, Chris Lawrence, said would like to see Asbo-like orders for owners to control the way they restrain and keep their animals if there are concerns about them.

He said at the moment there is little thought given to prevention, so the number of people going to hospital with dog bites has doubled over the last decade.

He said: "If a dog is not trained and socialised with other dogs properly it becomes a weapon." A third of the dogs put down by the trust, albeit a small number overall, are destroyed because their behaviour is a threat to staff.

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Additional reporting by Michael Pickard and Jon Massey.