A police driver who rammed an escaped cow in a patrol car will return to frontline duties after an investigation found the tactic was “both lawful and necessary”.
Surrey Police was heavily criticised after footage was posted online of a 10-month-old calf being rammed by a police car after midnight on June 15 following reports of an animal on the loose in Staines-upon-Thames.
On Friday, the force said the incident had been thoroughly investigated as both a criminal and internal misconduct matter and had now concluded.
The investigation was led by the professional standards department and overseen by a senior investigating officer (SIO).
The force said the investigation reviewed over 250 pieces of video footage, 75 witness statements and obtained the expert opinions of animal welfare specialists to determine if the actions of those involved amounted to the offence of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.
“The SIO has now completed their investigation and determined that while footage of the incident was distressing in nature, those involved in the incident acted within their duties, and the tactics adopted were both lawful and necessary to prevent harm to the public and property,” the force said.
“As such, no further action will be taken in either the criminal investigation, or the internal misconduct matter.”
Deputy Chief Constable Nev Kemp said the force appreciated the strength of feeling in relation to the incident, adding: “After investigating for five months, the SIO found that while there is necessary organisational learning in relation to how we handle loose livestock, no criminal offences were made out and therefore no further action should be taken against those who were involved.
“This determination was supported by the head of professional standards for Surrey Police who subsequently reviewed whether there was any potential misconduct.
“They determined a need for individual learning, but that no further action is taken in relation to misconduct. The driver of the vehicle will return to frontline duties in due course.”
Mr Kemp said the incident had highlighted several issues in relation to how the police responded to a loose-livestock incident and said they wanted to do what they could to reduce the possibility of an event such as this happening again.
“We have reviewed the recommendations made by the SIO and experts in this area, and will be working to address these promptly, sharing any best practice with forces across the UK,” he said.
Police said the cow, Beau Lucy, was well and remained at the farm with her herd.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article