Surrey Police Crime Commissioner tries to calm public fury after officers filmed ramming calf twice with cop car

The Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner has tried to calm public outrage in the county and across the country after officers rammed a calf in a cop car. Lisa Townsend said she "understood the concern" about the young cow which was twice hit hard by the vehicle.

In shocking scenes caught on camera, the animal had been wandering down the middle of the street, watched by residents and pedestrians, when the car was twice driven at it. It was shunted a metre down the road by the first impact and trapped under the vehicle by the second.

Surrey Police said in an updated statement after the groundswell of anger, the cow, estimated to be around four months old, had caused "traffic disruption" on main roads in Staines-upon-Thames on Friday evening (June 14) at just before 9pm. It also said the cow had been "running at members of the public" and it had received a report a "car had been damaged".

It said yesterday afternoon: "Given these reports, officers were extremely concerned about the public’s safety, and over a period of a number of hours tried a number of options to safely capture the cow". The force said it had referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

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The Home Secretary has waded into 'cowgate' and said he could think of "no reasonable need for this action" and demanded a full and urgent explanation for this action. He blasted the actions of officers as "heavy handed".

Police commissioner Lisa Townsend said: "I agree the Force were right to opt for a self referral in this instance, and I know they are also thoroughly evaluating the incident internally. I would ask everyone to allow time for this to be properly reviewed rather than speculating and causing unnecessary additional stress and concern within the community."

She said the cow was being treated by a vet and she hoped it "made a full recovery". Surrey Police said the calf had only suffered a "large cut to its leg".

SurreyLive has approached Surrey Police for an update on the injuries. Animal charity the RSPCA has also thrown its weight into the furore, branding the footage “upsetting and distressing”. It also said police “action appears disproportionate to the situation”.

As SurreyLive reported yesterday, the video has also caught the attention of wildlife television presenter and conservationist Chris Packham, who described the animal as a "calf" and led the cry for an investigation. He was so shocked, he said: "I don't even know where to start with this one".

In the recording, people from the street and homes who watched the scene unfold, and who had been laughing at the cow sauntering down the middle of the road, are heard yelling to the police "woahhh, woahhhh" and someone swore, shouting "what was that?!"

People have taken to social media to unleash their anger. One simply said: "I haven't seen a video that's made me this angry in a long time".

Full statement by Surrey Police made on Saturday

"Yesterday evening (14 June), at around 8:55pm, we received reports that a cow was running loose in Staines-upon-Thames. The cow was running loose throughout the evening on a number of main roads and during this time, we received numerous calls from the public reporting a car being damaged and it running at members of the public."

"Given these reports, officers were extremely concerned about the public’s safety, and over a period of a number of hours tried a number of options to safely capture the cow.

"Unfortunately, these were unsuccessful, and the decision was made to stop it using a police car. This matter has been referred to our Professional Standards Department. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has been notified and a voluntary referral will be made in due course.

"With support from a member of the public, the cow was moved to a nearby farm in the early hours of this morning (15 June). The owner has been located and the cow’s injuries have been assessed by a vet. The cow sustained a large cut to its leg, and the vet is overseeing its continued treatment and recovery.

"Chief inspector 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.”

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