An officer filmed deliberately driving a police car into a cow has been removed from frontline duties, Surrey Police have said.
It comes after the farmer’s partner told Sky News he should “lose his job” over the “disgusting” incident.
“I fully appreciate the distress our handling of this incident has caused and will ensure that it is thoroughly and diligently investigated,” Deputy Chief Constable Nev Kemp said.
“At this time, the officer who was driving the police car has been removed from frontline duties pending the outcome of these investigations,” he added.
Home Secretary James Cleverly called for a “full, urgent explanation” after a video of the incident in Staines-upon-Thames on Friday was widely shared.
The animal, a 10-month-old breeding heifer called Beau Lucy, has no broken bones and is recovering in a barn with other calves but could still die of shock, said the farmer’s partner Kate.
She called the footage “horrific” and said it “looked like they tried to kill it”.
“Honestly, when I saw the video, I thought he should lose his job. I just thought it was disgusting, I couldn’t believe it,” she told Sky News.
The video shows the cow falling and skidding metres down a road after being hit by the police car.
As it seems to be trying to get back on its feet, the vehicle approaches for a second time.
The cow’s head and part of its torso then appear stuck underneath the front of the car as two officers get out.
‘Cow may have swum river’
Surrey Police said the cow suffered “a large cut to one leg and cuts and grazes” and was being monitored by a vet.
It said the decision to use a car came after officers “tried a number of options to safely capture the cow” over a period of hours and were “extremely concerned about the public’s safety”.
The force said the public had called up to say the cow was running at people.
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Efforts were made to find a vet and identify the owner but they were unsuccessful, said DCC Kemp.
“Why these were unsuccessful and what more could and should have been done will form a key part of the investigation,” he added.
A referral has been made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), as well as an internal standards department.
Kate told Sky News the cow “wasn’t that out of control, just spooked”.
She said the animal, named Beau Lucy, along with other cows, were on the well-fenced Staines Moor and she believed it may have escaped by swimming across a river, adding: “I couldn’t believe she ended up where she did.”
