THE police officer responsible for the death of a dog killed by heat stress after being locked in a van for more than a day will not be charged with criminal negligence, a senior officer said.

Instead, the officer in question – who has yet to be identified – will be subjected to nothing more than an informal talk, The Tribune learned yesterday.

Under the Animal Protection and Control Act, passed by parliament but never enacted, animal cruelty convictions can lead to a fine of between $1,000 and $20,000.

Yesterday, the senior officer also pointed out that the German Shepherd was not owned by the Royal Bahamas Police Force, but rather was the officer’s personal dog.

On Wednesday, James Crosby, a consultant for the Bahamas Humane Society said the dog was brought into the clinic “near death,” his temperature eight degrees above the normal temperature for a dog.

“His temperature was enough to basically fry him. It causes brain failure and organ failure,” he said.