Police Officer Hits Cow
The cow's owner said the video was "painful viewing and it should have been handled in a different manner." He suggested that police should have tranquilized the animal. However, the cow is currently recovering. Hugh Broom, the chair of the National Farmers' Union's livestock board east, believes police did the best that they could.
"In that environment, would you want to be using a rifle in a built-up area on a dark Friday night?" He said. "While the whole thing looks horrendous, and it is for everyone, they probably did the right thing at the time. God forbid it had gone the other way and the animal ran off and bumped into someone, sent a child flying, sent any person flying, [which is] perfectly possible, and they were seriously injured or worse. People would be saying: 'Why wasn't the animal stopped?'"
After the incident, the police launched an internal investigation. Tom Harding, the director of operational standards at the College of Policing, said, "The college does not provide specific guidance on how to deal with escaped livestock. However, to support everyone in policing to make decisions, often in dangerous and complex circumstances, the college has provided a national decision model.
"This is a clear framework for assessing a situation. And taking action, in line with the code of ethics principles - courage, respect and empathy, and public service." Meanwhile, deputy chief constable, Nev Kemp, said police tried to contact local animal professionals but failed to get ahold of anyone.
He said: "As well as our overriding duty to protect the public, the welfare of animals is important to us. And we know people want answers about how this happened and what led up to it."
