A police officer who used his response car to ram an escaped cow has been removed from frontline duties, Surrey Police said.
The incident happened on Friday at around 8.55pm after the force received reports that a cow was running loose in Staines-upon-Thames.
Deputy Chief Constable Nev Kemp said: “I fully appreciate the distress our handling of this incident has caused and will ensure that it is thoroughly and diligently investigated.
At this time, the officer who was driving the police car has been removed from frontline duties pending the outcome of these investigations
“In addition to an internal referral to our Professional Standards Department, we have also referred the matter to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) for independent consideration.
“At this time, the officer who was driving the police car has been removed from frontline duties pending the outcome of these investigations.”
Home Secretary James Cleverly had asked for a “full, urgent explanation” as to why officers used the car to ram the escaped animal, saying it seemed “unnecessarily heavy handed”.
The animal, a 10-month-old calf named Beau Lucy, is “limping” but doing “a lot better” and taking medicine to treat her injuries, according to her farmer owner.
