Home Secretary James Cleverly has demanded an urgent explanation following the circulation of a video showing a police car deliberately driving into a cow twice.
The disturbing footage, which surfaced on social media this morning, shows the loose cow being struck by the vehicle, causing it to fall and skid meters down the road. As the cow attempts to get back on its feet, the car approaches again, hitting the animal a second time. The cow’s head and part of its torso appear to be trapped under the front of the vehicle as two officers exit the car. A second police car is visible on an adjoining street.
In response to the incident, Surrey Police announced that it would refer itself to the police complaints watchdog. The force explained that after hours of unsuccessful attempts to safely capture the cow, the decision was made to use a police car to stop it.
In a post on X, James Cleverly stated: “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.”
Surrey Police issued a statement detailing the sequence of events, revealing that officers responded to reports of a cow running loose in Staines-upon-Thames around 8:55 PM on Friday. The police had received numerous calls from the public reporting damage to a car and the cow running at people.
The statement read: “Officers… 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.” The cow was subsequently moved to a nearby farm with the help of local residents in the early hours of the morning.
The RSPCA released a statement regarding the “upsetting and distressing footage,” indicating that it had “urgently contacted” the police upon becoming aware of the incident. The charity emphasized that “all animals should be treated with respect” and urged for a better world for animals.
TV presenter and conservationist Chris Packham expressed his outrage on X, writing: “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 matter has been referred to the police’s professional standards department, and the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has been notified.
Chief Inspector Sam Adcock commented: “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.
Police have requested any videos of the “distressing” incident to aid in their investigation.
