A wave of anger and criticism erupted from a video deemed disturbing, showing a police car hitting an escaped cow that had been wandering the streets at night in a rural area of Surrey, South England. Many users on the platform X shared footage of the unfortunate cow after it was struck by the police vehicle, collapsing under its wheels with no way to escape.
Numerous Britons described this action as shameful and unacceptable, calling for accountability for the officers involved.
In response, Surrey Police issued a statement on their X account on Saturday night, explaining what happened and how the cow had been roaming at night, causing panic among passersby. They also confirmed that an internal investigation had been opened into the matter, pledging to refer the case to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.
This statement followed a call from Home Secretary James Cleverly for an urgent explanation regarding the incident, which showed the police car hitting the cow twice in succession. Cleverly condemned the action, labeling it "unnecessary and heavy-handed," particularly after footage emerged showing the police vehicle hitting the cow twice.
British naturalist Chris Packham described the officers involved in the incident as "monsters."
It's worth noting that the incident occurred late on Friday when the police received reports of a cow causing chaos in the town of Staines-upon-Thames. After being hit, the injured cow was taken to a nearby farm for treatment.
