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Not sure the cow was armed with a knife and threatening people though.
Spooked cow in an urban setting has the potential to escalate with serious damage being the outcome.
People can dress this up all they want to try and excuse it but it was barbaric and unnecessary.
Assuming that there were no cow-whisperers available, what would your foolproof solution to this problem have been? Genuine question albeit slightly sarcastically framed.
Assuming that there were no cow-whisperers available, what would your foolproof solution to this problem have been?
What happened in the few hours before it was rammed? A single young cow can easily be herded by a few people getting it back to where it came from (not sure where that was though!).
I managed to get 3 cows out of my garden on my own (someone left gate open and I don;t have a cattle grid). Just need to be calm, not seen as a threat.
Can't really comment on the police action as wasn't there but not likely to be what I would have done and guessing neither the police nor myself have been on how to handle a loose cow training days.
I was surprised they managed to get them all under control without needing to shoot any of them.
(them being the King's horses) Once their initial flight is over horses calm down quite quickly and usually start grazing again if there's anything edible. Catching them is just a matter of patience, cunning and a bag of apples. Riders make lot of effort desensitizing their horses so the King's horses would have no doubt spent a lot of time in urban environments and in the company of humans.
Cows on the hand only have contact with very limited numbers of humans, aren't desensitised to traffic and aren't familiar with the urban environment. I lived on a working farm for a couple of years and visited farms regularly over a period of years, if any of the farmers had given me a halter and asked me to go fetch a horse I'd have gone and fetched the horse. But a heifer, no chance. The police wisely remained in their cars.
Except in was in a medium sized town in leafy Surrey. But let’s not let facts get in the way of our ignorant prejudices.
Except Feltham is in Greater London not Surrey, so yes let's not get the facts in the way.
“A video showing a police car hitting the calf on Friday night on a residential street in Staines-upon-Thames was met with widespread outrage, including from the RSCPA which criticised the move as “disproportionate” “ According to The Guardian: https://amp.theguardian.com/uk-news/article/2024/jun/17/police-who-rammed-runaway-cow-did-the-right-thing-says-farmer
If it was Feltham you’d expect it to be The Met, not Surrey Police.
and was hit twice by a police car on Raleigh Road, Feltham.
From the BBC report? And this isn't America where police magically stop the pursuit at the county line.
Oh interesting, I had assumed those making a fuss were the very people who like to preach at others about eating burgers and drinking milk being murder and destroying the planet? Cos, your see there’s highly emotional voices on all sides of the topic.
Well yes, but these two sides are not evenly distributed now, are they.
I went vegetarian over 30 years ago so I would suggest that I am perhaps more predisposed to encountering such people than most others are. Yet I can count the types you describe on the fingers of one hand.
Depending on whose stats you look at, around 3% of the UK populace is vegan. Militant vegans are a small minority within within that 3%. Though they I grant you, they are very loud.
What’s the point of suspending them though?
I'm only guessing, but I would expect that to be standard procedure anytime there's an investigation to be had into atypical scenarios. Not least because the alternative is fury erupting today from the Daily Express because they're still on duty.
Does "suspended" come with full pay?
The difference is that anyone actually used to cattle definitely wouldn’t be getting out of their car to deal with an angry / scared one.
This ☝ 100%.
I'm used to cattle. My first home was a dairy farm. I've spent many a young naive hour at cattle markets.
Later as an adult I once crossed a cow field on the bikes (pushing them, not riding) with my then-partner. She was really nervous, I was blasé and trying to reassure her. By the time we'd got to other gate the situation had changed significantly. It was like the Cow Level in Diablo, we had an uncomfortably close herd going "****ing moo" with murderous intent. I was shitting bricks as I hurled both bikes over the fence and escaped with stile.
Cows are actually surprisingly docile, if curious. If you act in a slow + calm manner, they respond accordingly.
Aye, that's what I thought too. There's a reason they call them Effers.
A video showing a police car hitting the calf on Friday night on a residential street in Staines-upon-Thames
Not for the first time, the Guardian is wrong. Feltham's part of Hounslow which is neither leafy nor Surrey. Neither's Staines that leafy to be fair; as i said previously I think the farmers that the police are aware of in that area are mainly what I'd describe as urban arable, with a specific high value crop and large leccy bills.
and escaped with stile.
I see that. 👏👏
Except in was in a medium sized town in leafy Surrey. But let’s not let facts get in the way of our ignorant prejudices.
How are they? All the police officers I’ve met (mainly in leafy Surrey) seem nice people, who would have a lot of trouble dealing with this situation.
I've already elaborated in a later post that the public and police both with predominantly urban experience, are less likely to have experience or training relevant to dealing with the escaped cow situation, before it developed into the situation we've seen. My original post should have been clearer, apologies.
I’m only guessing, but I would expect that to be standard procedure anytime there’s an investigation to be had into atypical scenarios. Not least because the alternative is fury erupting today from the Daily Express because they’re still on duty.
Does “suspended” come with full pay?
Suspension has lots of negative connotations, e.g. corruption, court and sacking, but is on full pay. Some officers will lose £££ in overtime during suspensions which can last for years.
1000 Met officers were either suspended or on restricted duties in September 2023
I'd like to think that restricted duties were more appropriate, but who knows?
Deputy Chief Constable Nev Kemp said, "At this time, the officer who was driving the police car has been removed from frontline duties pending the outcome of these investigations,"
If it was Feltham you’d expect it to be The Met, not Surrey Police.
Raleigh Rd is 1.2 miles north of the closest bit of Surrey. Presumably the cow made a break for the border but Boss Hogg's boys outran her.
Minchinhampton Common:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/xnf54tX1hDs1c6sbARaleigh Rd, Feltham:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/UaUuDRht4gs5gpsZ6🤔
Minchinhampton
https://maps.app.goo.gl/wxEBbr7cE4JxCR9NA?g_st=ic
Should’ve cornered it in a china shop
I know Hounslow is a multiethnic population but no need to be racist about it.
No China shop sadly but we do have a very excellent cheese shop and chippy. As long as you watch out for moooosive cow pats on entry.