Police car strikes loose cow in Staines-upon-Thames: Investigation to be launched

Video footage shared on social media shows a marked police vehicle ramming into a cow in Staines-upon-Thames on Friday evening (June 14).

The animal tried to get to its feet before being hit a second time.

Home Secretary James Cleverly was among those to voice his concern on X (formerly Twitter).

He wrote: "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 on Saturday.

A spokesperson said: “Yesterday evening, at around 8.55pm, we received reports that a cow was running loose in Staines-upon-Thames.

“The cow was running loose throughout the evening on a number of main roads and, during this time, we received numerous calls from the public reporting a car being damaged and it running at members of the public.

“Given these reports, officers were 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.

“Unfortunately, these were unsuccessful and the decision was made to stop it using a police car.

"The matter has been referred to our Professional Standards Department. The Independent Office For Police Conduct (IOPC) has been notified and a voluntary referral will be made in due course.

"With support from a member of the public, the cow was moved to a nearby farm in the early hours of the morning (June 15)."

Police said the owner has been located and the cow's injuries have been assessed by a vet.

The cow sustained a 'large cut' to its leg and the vet is 'overseeing its continued treatment and recovery'.

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 Professional Standards Department 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."