Seven out of 19 people detained on Saturday morning by police have been charged with crimes connected with dog fighting.

In the first police action of its kind in Poland, around 50 officers swooped on a compound near Gniezno, western Poland, and detained 19 people and rescued 11 dogs, some injured, which have since been given over to an animal shelter.

Police spokesman Zbigniew Paszkiewicz said that some of those detained tried to resist arrest but were eventually overpowered.

Dog fighting carries a maximum sentence in Poland of up to two years imprisonment. (pg)

Source: PAP