A witness said he was ‘disgusted’ at seeing the police ram a terrified calf with their squad car as people call for the officers to be sacked.
Kai Bennetts, 22, said the young cow was left with an ‘open gash’ and ‘loads of grazes where the skin had come off’ after it was hit by the police car and thrown several metres down the road.
He said that the first strike, the cow ‘tried to get back up, and then they (the police) pushed it back over and blocked it by its neck and top half of his body and so it couldn’t get up.’ Mr Bennetts added: ‘Inhumane is all I can say.’
Calls are growing for the ‘monsters’ who rammed the calf to be sacked after a new video showed the bovine calmly wandering down the street before officers swooped in who said they had to knock the animal down to keep the public safe.
Shocking footage shows police brutally smashing into the calf twice after it escaped from its enclosure as a nearby member of the public in Staines-upon-Thames, west London, shouts: ‘What are you doing that for?’.
Wildlife TV presenter Chris Packham, Home Secretary James Cleverly and Deborah Meaden were among those condemning the ‘brutal’ actions of the police force.
Shocking footage shows police brutally smashing into the calf twice after it escaped from its enclosure as a nearby member of the public in Staines-upon-Thames, west London, shouts: ‘What are you doing that for?’
A police vehicle was captured ramming down a cow in the middle of a street on Friday after it escaped from its enclosure
A new video showed the bovine calmly wandering down the street before officers swooped in who said they had to knock the animal down to keep the public safe
Wildlife TV presenter Chris Packham, Home Secretary James Cleverly and Deborah Meaden were among those condemning the ‘brutal’ actions of the police force
Mr Packham wrote on X: ‘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?’
Home Secretary James Cleverly also asked for a ‘full, urgent explanation’ as to why officers appeared to use a police car to hit an escaped cow.
Mr Cleverly said the police action seemed ‘unnecessarily heavy handed’.
The RSPCA described the footage as ‘upsetting and distressing’ and said the police ‘action appears disproportionate to the situation’.
Deborah Meaden also took to X to voice her shock over the incident, writing: ‘Jeez….that is a scared, living, breathing creature and @SurreyPolice show such little compassion they decide ramming it with a vehicle is their only option….come on!!
‘I know it’s not all Police but seriously….this really must have serious consequences.’
Police said the cow was running loose at around 8.55pm on Friday night in Staines-upon-Thames, causing disruption to traffic in the local area.
The force were responding after being alerted by calls reporting that a car had been damaged and the animal was running at members of the public.
Officers were reportedly 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. The police then decided to use the police car to stop the cow.
The force said the matter had been referred to its Professional Standards Department.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has also been notified and a voluntary referral will be made in due course, the spokesman added.
Members of the public helped to move the cow to a nearby farm in the early hours of Saturday.
The owner has been located and a vet has looked at the cow’s injuries.
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.’
The RSPCA spokesman said: ‘This is upsetting and distressing footage.
New footage shows the calf appearing calm just minutes before the police rammed into it, which they claim was done to keep the public safe
Adrian Hilton and Jeremy Vine also commented on the incident on X
The calf appeared curious as it walked towards Kai Bennetts, who said the police ramming the animal twice was ‘inhumane’
Surrey Police said in a statement that officers turned to the police car to stop the cow after other less drastic methods failed. The force will refer itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct
‘As soon as we were made aware, we urgently contacted the police to establish the background and to find out what happened to the calf. We are pleased to hear the calf survived and is receiving vet care.
‘Surrey Police has referred themselves to their own professional standards department and to the Independent Office for Police Conduct. We support this as the action appears disproportionate to the situation.
‘We are happy to assist in any investigations carried out. All animals should be treated with respect. Together we can create a better world for all animals.’
A spokesperson for the IOPC said: ‘We have been notified by Surrey Police about this incident and that a referral will be made in due course.
‘When we receive it we will carry out an assessment to determine what further action is required by us.’
In an earlier statement published on Friday evening Surrey Police said the animal became ‘increasingly distressed’ while it was being taken to safety. The cow was moved to a local park where it was waiting for a vet.
Chief Inspector Adam Tatton said: ‘Our priority when responding to any incident is first and foremost the safety of the public. I would like to thank the community for their understanding this evening, and ask that they stay away from the park while officers are on scene.’
