Surrey police appoint themselves to the supervisory authority after incident involving cow transporters

Warning: This article contains images that some people may find disturbing

Surrey Police said they would refer the matter to the Police Complaints Inspectorate following an incident in which a cow was deliberately hit twice by an emergency vehicle.

In a statement, police said that after several hours of failed attempts to safely capture the cow, “the decision was made to stop her with a police car.”

Home Secretary James Cleverly said he would urgently demand an explanation and described the measures as “heavy-handed”.

The RSPCA said the police response, which saw the animal hit twice by a marked vehicle in Staines-on-Thames, “appeared disproportionate”.

Footage shared online shows a marked vehicle ramming into the cow, which appears to be stunned and tries to get up before being hit a second time.

In the 26-second video, bystanders can be heard reacting in shock when the cow is hit by the vehicle.

An eyewitness told BBC News that the incident was “disturbing for all witnesses”.

Adrian Pearson said: “I think it could have been handled better. The way the police handled it is pretty extreme.”

“I think it could have been handled in a much more humane way. I think it was quite stressful for everyone.”

The animal was examined by a veterinarian and suffered a large cut on its leg, Surrey police said.

“This matter has been escalated to our Professional Standards Department.

“The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has been notified and a voluntary report will be made in due course,” police said in a statement.

Ch Insp Tatton Sam Adcock added: “The decision to use the police car was only made after other methods of stopping the cow had failed.”

Police confirmed the incident occurred in Staines-upon-Thames shortly before 9pm BST on Friday evening.

It said: “The cow ran onto several main roads and caused traffic disruption in the area.

“While trying to get the cow to safety, she became increasingly distressed and was injured.”

It said officers were “extremely concerned for the safety of the public and tried various options over several hours to safely capture the cow.”

The RSPCA said: “Surrey Police has referred the matter to its own Professional Standards Department and to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.”

“We support this because the measure is disproportionate to the situation. We are happy to assist with any investigations.”

Mr Cleverly wrote to X: ‘I cannot think of any reasonable reason for this measure.

“I have urgently requested a comprehensive explanation of this.

“It seems to be unnecessarily harsh.”

Conservationist and presenter Chris Packham said: “I don’t know where to start.

“But it is certainly illegal and must be investigated and prosecuted.”

“What kind of monster rams a calf? Twice?”