Norfolk's chief constable revealed he has felt the "unbearable" pain of becoming a victim of dog theft, while fielding public questions about rural crime.

Simon Bailey was speaking at on online rural crime briefing which discussed issues including the rising concerns over dog thefts in the countryside.

The senior police officer said his own dog had been stolen in 2019, but to his great relief his pet had been recovered and was "thankfully asleep at my feet" during the meeting.

Although he knew first-hand the impact of the crime on victims he sought to reassure the public that, despite many frightening stories circulating on social media, Norfolk remains a safe place to own a dog.

The meeting was told that 30 crimes were reported in the whole of last year involving the theft of 52 dogs - 31pc of which were recovered - and none had involved physical assault or robbery.

"I have been a victim myself and the pain is unbearable," said Mr Bailey. "So I understand the anxiety, I understand the fears.

"But I'm not aware of anybody being assaulted, or having a dog physically taken from them in a robbery. I am not aware of dogs being stolen when they are out for walks, it is rather they are being stolen from kennels and gardens and back yards.

"So what is really important is that we get the message out that as a dog owner you are highly, highly unlikely to become a victim of this crime.

"The numbers speak for themselves, there has been less than one a week in 2020 and we need to reinforce this because so much of this is being driven by social media across the country and actually Norfolk is a safe place to be an owner."

The chief constable was responding to a question from Amanda Knight, who runs a website and Facebook group for dog lovers called the Barking Bugle from her north Norfolk home.

She said she was receiving emails "two or three times a week" from concerned dog owners, with some reporting being approached by people asking if their dog was for sale, or even blowing whistles to attract dogs being walked on a beach.

"This has resulted in a tremendous amount of anxiety for these people, " she said. "They are so worried about going out for a walk that some have even started wearing body cams."

Mr Bailey said any dog walkers who felt threatened or anxious should get a description of the people approaching them, and their vehicle, and phone it through to police. He added: "Do it in such a way that does not increase the risk, if there is any risk to themselves".