A police officer who ran over an escaped cow with a car will return to the front despite thousands of complaints.
Surrey Police confirmed on Friday that an investigation found the procedure “lawful and necessary”, clearing the officer of any charges.
The campaign was widely criticized when pictures posted online showed a 10-month-old calf being hit by a police car on the night of June 15 following reports of an animal on the loose in Staines-upon-Thames.
The 10-month-old calf, Beau Lucy, was on the loose in a residential street before a police car was seen knocking her onto the pavement (PA Media)
The video, which has gone viral on social media, appears to show a member of the public running away. The animal, named Beau Lucy, can be seen free on a residential street before a 4×4 police vehicle runs over the tarmac and plows into her again, pinning her to the ground – shocking onlookers.
Surrey Police said there had been reports of the bull running over people and damaging cars in the town that night.
They say that Beau Lucy’s leg was severely cut in this incident – although in the statement they released on Friday, he said that he has now recovered and is living on the farm with his cattle.
Later in June, Deputy Chief Constable Nev Kemp said police had received more than 20,000 messages on social media and 2,000 complaints from members of the public, “reinforcing the power to hear this case”.
The animal, named Beau Lucy, can be seen freely on the residential street in the photos (Kai Bennetts/PA Wire)
On Friday, the army said the incident had been thoroughly investigated as a criminal and internal matter – led by the technical department and overseen by the investigating officer (SIO) – and had been concluded.
The court said that the investigation examined over 250 videos, 75 statements and received expert opinions from animal welfare experts to determine whether the actions of those involved are equivalent to the crime of causing unnecessary suffering to animals.
“The SIO has completed its investigation and has found that although the footage of the incident is disturbing, those involved in the incident did their job, and the measures taken were legal and appropriate to prevent injury to people and property,” the force said.
“Therefore, no further action will be taken in the criminal investigation, or the matter of internal misconduct.”
Home Secretary James Cleverly was one of those who questioned what the police did at the time (PA Wire)
DCC Kemp said that the army appreciated the strength of the hearing regarding the incident, adding: “After a five-month investigation, the SIO found that although there are important studies of the organization regarding how we treat wild animals, no crimes have been committed. and therefore no further action should be taken against those involved.
“This determination was supported by Surrey Police’s professional standards officer who subsequently investigated whether there was any potential misconduct.
“They determined the need for individual learning, but that no further action is taken regarding the misconduct. The driver of the car will go back to the front in time.”
Mr. Kemp said that this incident has brought out many issues regarding the way the police handled the animal cruelty incident and said that they want to do what they can to reduce the chance of this kind of incident happening again.
“We have reviewed the recommendations made by the SIO and experts in this area, and we will be working to address this as soon as possible, sharing any good practice with forces in the UK,” he said.
The writer at the time James Cleverly was one of those who questioned what the police were doing at the time, writing X: “I don’t think there is any logical reason for this action. I asked for a full, quick explanation of this. It seems to be unnecessarily heavy. “