http://www.expressandstar.

com/news/2011/08/14/rspca-records-200-prosecutions-in-west-midlands-area/ My comment sent in as follows: The 'journalist' responsible for letting this past your editorial desk should be sent immediately to a crash course in investigative journalism, fact checking, and analytic sophistication. Simply printing what the RSPCA sends you is not the mark of a responsible newspaper. A beginning hint - the notion that he RSPCA only prosecutes 'worst cases' is laughable. They prosecute where there is some money they think they can get their hands on. And the normal charge is 'neglect' - defining which is akin to defining the length of the fabled piece of string. As sent to the Express and Star, Staffordshire and West Midlands local newspaper, who printed the following, as sent out today: The RSPCA has successfully prosecuted up to 200 people in the West Midlands for cruelty to animals in a year a number which is among the highest in the country. Figures obtained by the Express & Star show that Staffordshire is in the lower offending category, with between 50 and 99 convictions for animal welfare related offences last year. The only other regions in the country with rates as high as the West Midlands are East and North Yorkshire. And since the charity only prosecutes the worst cases of animal cruelty, there are likely to be more people in the West Midlands who treat animals carelessly but simply never made it to court. RSPCA spokeswoman Judith Haw said: Prosecutions are always the last resort for the RSPCA and in many cases we go into homes to offer advice for improvements that need to be made for their animals. This advice is taken, but clearly this is not always the case and the worst cases of animal cruelty we come across lead to prosecutions. Read more: http://www.expressandstar.com/news/2011/08/14/rspca-records-200-prosecutions-in-westmidlands-area/#ixzz1V5HxhTKz