The home secretary has asked Surrey police to provide a “full, urgent explanation” after footage showed officers using a car to ram an escaped cow. James Cleverly expressed his concerns after a video surfaced online showing officers hitting the cow twice with their police car, prompting an onlooker to question their actions. Cleverly demanded an explanation for what he deemed as unnecessarily heavy-handed behavior. The incident occurred after reports of a cow running loose on main roads in Staines-Upon-Thames, allegedly charging at people and damaging a car. Despite attempts to capture the cow safely, the police resorted to hitting it with a car, resulting in the animal sustaining a significant leg injury. The RSPCA and wildlife activist Chris Packham condemned the actions, calling for an investigation and prosecution. Ch Insp Sam Adcock defended the decision to use the police car, stating it was a last resort after other methods failed. The cow was eventually moved to a nearby farm with the help of locals.
Surrey police face criticism after using car to ram escaped cow | Surrey
The home secretary has asked Surrey police to provide a “full, urgent explanation” after footage showed officers using a car to ram an escaped cow.
James Cleverly made the comments after footage posted online showed officers ramming the cow twice with their police car, while an onlooker is heard shouting: “What are you doing that for?”
In a post on X, Cleverly wrote: “I can think of no reasonable need for this action. I’ve asked for a full, urgent explanation for this. It appears to be unnecessarily heavy handed.”
The incident occurred on Friday evening after Surrey police received reports about a cow running around on a number of main roads in the Staines-Upon-Thames area. According to police, they received reports that the cow was charging at members of the public and had damaged a car.
The cow got back to its feet after the first strike, but the police car hit it a second time and appeared to come to a stop with the animal underneath the vehicle. A Surrey police spokesperson said they tried to safely capture the cow over a number of hours and explored a number of options before hitting it with a car. The force said the matter had been referred to its Professional Standards Department.
Officers said the cow suffered a significant cut to its leg and is being treated by vets. An RSPCA spokesperson said: “This is a very upsetting and distressing video to watch. We will be getting in touch with the police urgently to understand the circumstances as to what happened.”
The wildlife activist and presenter Chris Packham told the BBC that he didn’t know “where to start with this. But it’s surely illegal and must be investigated and prosecuted.” He added: “What sort of monster rams a calf? Twice?”
Ch Insp Sam Adcock said: “I know that this has caused distress and I’d like to thank the community for their concern. The decision to use the police car is one that was only taken after other methods to stop the cow had failed.
“There will be an investigation into the actions that led to this, but our focus at all times is on ensuring the safety of the public. I know there are videos circulating of this incident, which the public may find distressing. I would ask that these videos are sent directly to us to help with our investigation.”
With help from locals, the cow was moved to a nearby farm during the early hours of Saturday morning.
Read the full story on www.theguardian.com
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/article/2024/jun/15/surrey-police-face-criticism-after-using-car-to-ram-escaped-cow