The UK government launched a “Pet Theft Taskforce” on Saturday to investigate the recent reported rise in pet theft since the start of the COVID-19 lockdowns. The taskforce, to consist of officials from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), the Home Office, and the Ministry of Justice as well as the police, will “gather evidence to understand the factors that may be contributing to any perceived rise in thefts and to recommend any necessary measures to tackle the problem,” the government said. Environment Secretary George Eustice called the increase in pet theft “worrying trends” and said he hoped the taskforce would help “catch those involved with this terrible crime.” “Although the data is difficult to get a handle on, most of the estimates we have and reports suggest that pet theft may have doubled in the last 12 months—some people put it even higher than that,” he …