Police run over calf - reasonable?

Police run over calf - reasonable?

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Somewhatfoolish

Original Poster:

4,825 posts

200 months

Saturday 15th June 2024
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Video doing the rounds of police running over a calf, deliberately: https://x.com/ub1ub2/status/1801939257054859521

I appreciate that cows are by far the most dangerous animal in the UK and one running around a street isn't ideal. But even so this seems a bit excessive. Although it's easy to say this in hindsight...

DaveH23

3,329 posts

184 months

Saturday 15th June 2024
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If you asked a 4 year old how to contain the situation, they could have come up with what happened.

The police though, Totally unnecessary. Even a bullet to the head would have been more humane than what they have done.

durbster

11,257 posts

236 months

Saturday 15th June 2024
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What an awful video. Unless the cow was armed, it looks totally unnecessary.

Are these people who have never been outside London and don't know what a cow is or what?

Mammasaid

4,740 posts

111 months

Saturday 15th June 2024
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Somewhatfoolish said:
I appreciate that cows are by far the most dangerous animal in the UK
WTAF???

More killed by dogs than cows, and a 6 month calf isn't the same as a field of cows with calves at foot.



Silvanus

6,849 posts

37 months

Saturday 15th June 2024
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Completely unnecessary. Even someone remotely competent could have dealt with that without needing to run it over twice.

Somewhatfoolish

Original Poster:

4,825 posts

200 months

Saturday 15th June 2024
quotequote all
Mammasaid said:
WTAF???

More killed by dogs than cows, and a 6 month calf isn't the same as a field of cows with calves at foot.
Are you sure? That's very surprising. I'd far rather be with 20 random dogs than 20 random cattle.

But I agree that one calf doesn't seem to justify this. I was trying to be balanced in the OP but may have overdone it...

thisnameistaken

221 posts

42 months

Saturday 15th June 2024
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wtf!?

bitchstewie

58,364 posts

224 months

Saturday 15th June 2024
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Statement from Surrey Police.


cuprabob

16,584 posts

228 months

Saturday 15th June 2024
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Surely they could have got a vet with a tranquilliser gun to take of it.

Evanivitch

23,971 posts

136 months

Saturday 15th June 2024
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DaveH23 said:
If you asked a 4 year old how to contain the situation, they could have come up with what happened.

The police though, Totally unnecessary. Even a bullet to the head would have been more humane than what they have done.
Well clearly shooting an uncontained animal in a residential area is challenging and from the report they didn't kill it or mortally wound it.

Greendubber

14,205 posts

217 months

Saturday 15th June 2024
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cuprabob said:
Surely they could have got a vet with a tranquilliser gun to take of it.
Devils advocate - How many of them are available at short notice and were able to get to the scene? Do we know that no efforts were made to track one down?

We've tried previously when animals have been running in the road and never been able to get one. Fortunately we managed to force them into an area and managed to get them contained.

Horrible video, I love cows but I'd like to think they'd tried and exhausted the other options before resorting to running it over. Hopefully it fully recovers swiftly.

anonymous-user

68 months

Saturday 15th June 2024
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It was only a baba. Utter tossers doing what they did. I hope the officer involved is prosecuted.

grumbledoak

32,121 posts

247 months

Saturday 15th June 2024
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What did they think it was going to do? It was a cow, wandering about. Not Godzilla on a rampage.

TwigtheWonderkid

46,093 posts

164 months

Saturday 15th June 2024
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durbster said:
What an awful video. Unless the cow was armed, it looks totally unnecessary.

Are these people who have never been outside London and don't know what a cow is or what?
I'm from London, and wouldn't have a clue how to deal with a runaway cow. It's in a built up area, so, whilst knowing nothing about cows, would imagine it could be quite a dangerous situation. How would a human fare being run into by a frightened and panicking cow? The actual job of the police is protection of the public, not animal welfare.

Maybe questions need to be asked of the owner of the cow. How was it allowed to get free?

I'm sure if, 10 minutes later, the cow ran into someone and killed them, people would be saying "why didn't they run it over with a car when they had a chance, it's only a bloody cow?"


Edited by TwigtheWonderkid on Saturday 15th June 16:28

Greendubber

14,205 posts

217 months

Saturday 15th June 2024
quotequote all
TwigtheWonderkid said:
durbster said:
What an awful video. Unless the cow was armed, it looks totally unnecessary.

Are these people who have never been outside London and don't know what a cow is or what?
I'm from London, and wouldn't have a clue how to deal with a runaway cow. It's in a built up area, so, whilst knowing nothing about cows, would imagine it could be quite a dangerous situation. How would a human fare being run into by a frightened and panicking cow? The actual job of the police is protection of the public, not animal welfare.

Maybe questions need to be asked of the owner of the cow. How was it allowed to get free?
Exactly. It had already apparently knocked a lady over and the press release mentions it has been running at people, damaging cars etc so quite a high risk of someone being injured.

Imagine if they didn't, the perpetually outraged would be moaning about a lack of action I reckon.

The cow will recover and hopefully not do it's Houdini act again.

768

16,510 posts

110 months

Saturday 15th June 2024
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Absolutely mental.

That the considered defence in the cold light of day is that they spent hours failing in other ways first is pretty farcical.

aka_kerrly

12,492 posts

224 months

Saturday 15th June 2024
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Forester1965 said:
It was only a baba. Utter tossers doing what they did. I hope the officer involved is prosecuted.
That's completely over the top. This strikes me as a situation the Police could not come out looking good in, if they'd not bothered turning up and the cow continued running riot damaging property people would be complaining. The police turn up and use a method to stop the animal without killing it and people complain. Police show up and put a bullet in it's head , people complain.

No doubt if you'd been there you'd have a handy bit of rope and lassoed it before slinging it over your back and returning it to a field;)

popeyewhite

23,007 posts

134 months

Saturday 15th June 2024
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It's a small calf. Call someone with suitable transport, surround the animal and get it in the transport.

Pica-Pica

15,151 posts

98 months

Saturday 15th June 2024
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It was not ‘run’ over. Although a calf, it was still a sizeable beast. It was knocked down to contain it. All the other nonsense about herding it or calling a vet, is just that, nonsense. When cattle run amok, they can easily trample people to death.

Edited by Pica-Pica on Saturday 15th June 16:52

martinbiz

3,574 posts

159 months

Saturday 15th June 2024
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Forester1965 said:
It was only a baba. Utter tossers doing what they did. I hope the officer involved is prosecuted.
Yes a 300kg baba that can do a lot of damage to persons/property.We don't tknow the full back story to this and it was probably the chosen option as a last resort to deal with situation as quickly as possible.Your post is like something you'd expect from a 10 year old, grow up!