Update: Police Driver Cleared of Wrongdoing After Ramming Cow

A bit of an update on the case of young cow Beau Lucy, which was rammed by a police vehicle during a late night jaunt around west London.

The incident, which I wrote about at the time, happened on the evening of Friday, 14th June 2024. Beau Lucy had apparently escaped from her field and had been wandering the streets for several hours when the decision was taken to use a police vehicle to stop her in her tracks.

Footage of the incident was uploaded to social media and attracted widespread condemnation over the tactics used.

Writing at the time, I said: "These are truly horrific scenes. There is no doubt the animal suffered, having experienced such barbaric treatment.

"Serious questions needs to be asked of the police officer driving that vehicle. What exactly made them think taking such drastic action was justified, necessary and proportionate? What information had been conveyed to the control room Inspector, who presumably authorised vehicular contact with the animal?"

Serious questions have now been asked and the answer, provided by Surrey Police's Professional Standards Department, is that the tactics employed were "lawful and necessary".

Surrey Police said: "The SIO (Senior Investigating Officer) 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. As such, no further action will be taken in either the criminal investigation, or the internal misconduct matter."

In reaching its decision the investigation team reviewed over 250 pieces of video footage, 75 witness statements and sought the opinion of animal welfare specialists.

Deputy Chief Constable Nev Kemp said: "This incident has highlighted several issues in relation to how the police respond to a loose livestock incident and therefore, as a Force, we want to do what we can to reduce the possibility of any event like this happening again, not just in Surrey but anywhere in the country. 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."

I am pleased to say Beau Lucy, quite remarkably, made a full recovery.