UK police officer who rammed car into runaway cow removed from duty

London, United Kingdom

A police officer in the United Kingdom’s Surrey has been taken off frontline duties after law enforcement personnel came under fire for striking a runaway cow twice with a vehicle.

A video of officers using a car to ram an escaped cow went viral on social media and sparked outrage.

The incident also prompted UK Home Secretary James Cleverly to demand an “urgent explanation”. 

What happened?

The disturbing video of the incident, which as per British media reports occurred on Friday (Jun 14) night, went viral on social media with many calling it “unacceptable” and asking the officers involved to be sacked. 

The nearly half-a-minute-long clip shows a person jogging ahead before the cow appears on the road followed by a police car.

Subsequently, the vehicle was seen speeding up before ramming into the cow and knocking it down. 

As the cow tried to regain its balance and stand up, the police car hit the animal again and it collapsed.

Subsequently, officers were seen getting out of the vehicle. 

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An eyewitness told the BBC the incident was “distressing for everyone” who saw it.

The video of the incident has garnered more than 19 million views since it was posted on Saturday (Jun 15). 

The young cow, Beau Lucy, was said to be 10 months old and reportedly escaped from a farm in Staines by swimming across a river. 

Police officer removed from duty

Amid the outrage, Surrey Police said they have started an internal investigation into the incident and the officer who was driving the police car has been removed from frontline duties pending the outcome of the probe. 

The police, on Friday night, received reports about the animal running around on several main roads in the Staines-upon-Thames area and what followed was an hours-long chase. 

The Surrey police said that the step was taken after attempts to safely capture the cow after “a number of hours” had failed, adding that the officers also explored several options before hitting the animal with a car. 

According to the police, the cow was charging at pedestrians and even damaged a car.

The officers said that the cow suffered a significant cut to its leg and is being treated by vets after it was moved to a nearby farm with the help of locals, on Saturday (Jun 15) morning. 

The partner of the farmer who owns Beau Lucy, as per media reports, said that the calf could still die from its injuries.

‘Urgent explanation’

“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,” said Cleverly, in a post on X. 

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Chris Packham, a wildlife activist told the BBC he wasn’t sure where to start but said: “it’s surely illegal and must be investigated and prosecuted”. He added, “What sort of monster rams a calf? Twice?”

A spokesperson from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), the largest animal welfare charity in the UK said that the video was "very upsetting and distressing" to watch and they will contact to police to understand what happened. 

(With inputs from agencies)