Police cow killing: No misconduct charges over Woodley ramming

Police officers who used their van to ram and kill a runaway cow will not face misconduct charges, an internal review has confirmed.

In May, the runaway cow was rammed by Thames Valley Police officers in Woodley, Berkshire.

The force admitted the review did "identify some areas of learning" but it has not given any further details.

Last month, the Independent of Police Conduct (IOPC) announced it would not be probing the incident.

Thames Valley Police previously said officers drove into the cow, which had charged into a woman and an officer, on 13 May after all other options were ruled out.

Resident Shana Tolsma said she saw them use a van to ram the "scared looking animal" four times on Wokingham Road.

A vigil was later held for the cow by Vegan Action for Animals campaign group, which claimed it had been "wrongfully murdered".

The incident also inspired a mural in the town by local artist Peachy.

A police spokeswoman said during the review "no areas of misconduct were identified, however the force did identify some areas of learning".

She added: "We would like to reassure the public that we worked closely with the farmer who was on scene throughout the incident and precluded all other options, including tranquilisation.

"Thankfully these instances are very rare and the measures carried out in this particular incident were necessary to protect the public from further harm."

When asked by the BBC to give specifics about the areas of learning, she said: "We wouldn't go into any further detail on that."

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