An investigation has been launched after a Surrey Police car was filmed ramming into an escaped cow twice as it walked down the middle of a road.
The force is referring itself to the police complaints watchdog and its own professional standards department after the animal was deliberately struck by the vehicle.
According to Surrey Police, there had been several attempts to contain the cow, running loose in Staines-upon-Thames at 8.55pm yesterday. The horrific footage shows a blue light, marked car, driving towards the cow at force, before colliding with the animal – sending it flying down the road.
The cow then struggles to get back up – but before it can, the driver catches up and speeds right up to it, with the bonnet overhanging its body, preventing any movement.
People filming in the area can be heard screaming, with one person yelling: “What the f*** was that?” A spokesman for the force said the cow sustained a large cut to its leg which is being treated by a vet.
WARNING: GRAPHIC FOOTAGE DISPLAYED BELOW
Home Secretary James Cleverly is among those stunned by the incident. He said on X: “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.”
BBC wildlife presenter Chris Packham has also responded, and said: “I don’t know where to start with this. But it’s surely illegal and must be investigated and prosecuted. What sort of monster rams a calf? Twice?”
The force’s lengthy statement, issued today (June 15), said the cow had been spotted running down a number of roads before the incident, with “numerous” calls from the public.
“Given these reports officers were extremely concerned about the public’s safety, and over the period of a number of hours tried a number of options to safely capture the cow,” it says.
With those methods uneffective, the decision was taken to stop the animal with a car, the statement added.
The statement continued: “With support from a member of the public, the cow was moved to a nearby farm in the early hours of this morning. The owner has been located and the cow’s injuries have been assessed by a vet.”
The cow is receiving ongoing treatment for its injury in the hope it’ll make a full recovery. Chief insp Sam Adcock said: “I know this has caused distress and I’d like to thank the community for its concern.
“The decision to use a police car is one that was only taken after methods to stop the cow had failed. There will be an investigation into the actions that led to this, but focus at all times is ensuring the safety of the public.
“I know videos are circulating of this incident, which the public may find distressing. I would ask these videos are sent directly to us to help with our investigation.”
