A police decision to ram an escaped cow with a patrol car is now being investigated as a criminal matter, it emerged on Thursday.
The 10-month-old calf, named Beau Lucy, was struck twice by a vehicle following reports of a loose animal in Staines-upon-Thames just after midnight on June 15.
Surrey Police had been heavily criticised after footage was posted online and received more than 2,000 complaints.
The force said as part of its investigation it had made 290 house-to-house visits, handed out 210 leaflets along the route the cow took, contacted 75 witnesses and received more than 250 video clips.
The driver involved was removed from frontline duties.
Announcing the criminal probe, Deputy Chief Constable Nev Kemp said: “This significant update demonstrates why a thorough investigation is important, as it ensures all potential criminal and misconduct matters are clearly understood.
“This does, of course, take time.
“Since the incident, we have received in excess of 20,000 messages on social media and 2,000 complaints from the public, highlighting the strength of feeling about this case.
“It is therefore of greatest importance to conduct a diligent investigation so we can provide the owner of Beau Lucy, and the public, with answers as to how this incident happened and the events which led up to it.
“We remain committed to providing significant updates relating to this incident on our website as and when we have them.”
The calf’s owners, named only as Rob and Kate, said last month that allowing Surrey Police to investigate themselves made it easier for the force to justify the action taken.
They added: “We still hold the thought that the handling of this situation was cruel and barbaric.”
Surrey Police said officers tried a number of ways to capture Beau Lucy amid reports it was running at members of the public and damaged a car, before the decision was taken to stop it by force using a patrol car.
The cow was returned to Rob’s farm, located near the border between Surrey and Middlesex, with bruises, and has since been recovering.
