A police decision to ram an escaped cow with a patrol car is is under criminal investigation.

Surrey Police faced heavy criticism after a video posted online last month showed one of its police cars ramming a ten-month-old calf twice.

In a statement released on Thursday, the force revealed that it is facing both an internal misconduct investigation and a criminal investigation.

It said that it has made 290 house-to-house visits, contacted 75 witnesses and received more than 250 video clips as part of the investigation.

Surrey Police’s Deputy Chief Constable, Nev Kemp, said the update shows “why a thorough investigation is important”.

“It ensures all potential criminal and misconduct matters are clearly understood,” he said, adding that such a substantial investigation “does take time”.

The investigation is being led by the professional standards department and overseen by a senior investigating officer.

The calf’s owners, named only as Rob and Kate, had previously described the handling of the situation as “cruel and barbaric”.

They also said that the force would find it easier to justify the action it took because it was carrying out the investigation itself.

Surrey Police said that its officers had tried a number of ways to capture the loose calf, following reports that it had damaged a car and was running at members of the public, before deciding to stop it by using a patrol car.

The calf, named Beau Lucy, was returned to its owners’ farm, near the border between Surrey and Middlesex, with bruises, and has since been recovering.

Additional reporting by PA.