‘Shocked’ Keir Starmer accuses police of ‘animal cruelty’ after fleeing cow crashes into five…

June 17, 2024, 2:12 p.m. | Updated: June 17, 2024, 2:45 p.m.

Sir Keir Starmer has branded shocking footage of a police car ramming a cow five times as “animal cruelty”.

Footage was initially released on Saturday showing Surrey police officers hitting the cow twice in an attempt to restrain her before she was left injured in a park for two hours.

In the latest video posted to social media, the cow runs through a residential area of ​​Staines before being hit by the police car on what the Facebook user described as a “third or fourth attempt” and remaining at ground for more than two minutes.

On Monday, interviewed by journalists in Southampton, the Labor leader said: “I was really shocked when I saw those images and I think anyone who saw those images would be shocked.

“I think you will correct me if I am wrong, the officer has been removed from his front line duties.

“But yes, I was shocked.

“I agree 100% with the LBC callers this morning. I guess the rest of the country agrees too, for that matter.”

Warning: Some readers may find the images below disturbing

Surrey Police have confirmed the officer who was filmed deliberately driving the vehicle towards the animal has been removed from the front line.

“I fully appreciate the distress our handling of this incident has caused and will ensure a thorough and diligent investigation is carried out,” Deputy Chief Constable Nev Kemp said.

“At this time, the police officer who was driving the police car has been removed from his frontline duties pending the outcome of these investigations,” he added.

It comes as a cow owner called for the officers involved to be fired.

Learn more: New ‘heartbreaking’ videos show close-up of ‘3rd or 4th attempt’ as police ram 4×4 into terrified cow

Police said they received reports that the cow had run over people and also damaged a car.

Kate, the partner of the farmer who owned the cow, said: “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.

“I don’t know if it was his decision to drive towards the animal or if he was ordered to do so, but the officers, when they got out of the car, looked pretty agitated themselves. “

She said it was a shame she was not contacted by police about the cow or called a vet to use a tranquilizer.

Kate said the cow “wasn’t out of control, she was just scared”.

She added: “I can only imagine the police who did this had no idea about farm animals.

“Kate added that the cow may have escaped by swimming across a river next to the field where she was grazing.

Learn more: Fury grows as shocking footage shows police ram runaway cow with patrol car

Learn more: Shock as police escape from cow in street, as cops say she ‘was injured while being pulled to safety’

She said the cow had now been checked by a vet and was eating and drinking again, but was “really agitated” and “really scared”.

“I don’t know if she will survive,” she said. “She could have died from the shock but I hope she lives.”

Footage of the incident shocked viewers, and even the Minister of the Interior spoke out.

James Cleverly said: “I see no reasonable necessity for this action. » I requested a full and urgent explanation on this matter. This seems to be unnecessarily harsh. »

Jeremy Clarkson also commented on the situation on Twitter.

He said in a social media post: “I will vote for any party that stops the police from crushing cows.”

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Following the release of the footage, Surrey Police released a statement, saying they responded to reports of a cow on the loose in Staines-upon-Thames at around 8.55pm on Friday evening.

Police said “the cow was on the loose throughout the evening on several main roads and during this time we received numerous calls from the public reporting that a car had been damaged and was heading towards members of the public “.

“Given these reports, officers were extremely concerned for the safety of the public and, over the course of several hours, tried several options to safely capture the cow.

“Unfortunately these attempts were unsuccessful and the decision was made to arrest him using a police car. This matter has been referred to our Professional Standards Department.”

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has been informed and a voluntary referral will be made in due course.”

The cow was eventually moved to a nearby farm in the early hours of June 15, according to police, assisted by a member of the public.

Following the news, a spokesperson for the Independent Office for Police Conduct said: “We have been informed by Surrey Police of this incident and a referral will be made in due course.

“When we receive it, we will conduct an assessment to determine what additional steps we need to take.”

“Very painful”

Emma Slawinski, RSPCA policy director, said: “We always recommend that, for example, police forces are trained in how to deal with animals and in fact I know this happens with many forces police, particularly rural. We’re also in contact with the farmers, of course, because the farmers have big machines, they might need to be moved or, you know, they tend to have a good relationship with their local police force.

“So there might have been other options that could have been considered, taking expert advice, for example, but it’s not really appropriate for me to comment as I don’t know the circumstances here .

“All I can say about the video is that it is extremely distressing. It is horrific to watch and action needs to be taken, and this seems to be a completely disproportionate reaction to what is happening. “