Police shoot cow in Grantham

Re: Police shoot cow in Grantham

Bibs — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 20:30:59 GMT

I don't know.

I think if it's running around stressed, crossing walls, charging people and can't be approached, leaving it alone might not be an option in a built up area.

It probably just took more than one shot to stop it rather than the police being inherently useless.

Re: Police shoot cow in Grantham

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 14:46:19 GMT

A bullet is anything but predictable, when the copper misses or when the bullet goes right through the cow and out the other side. Certainly a bullet is safe once it stops moving: it's what stops it moving that bothers me.

They should all have calmed down, sent the gunmen back to the office to look for Brazilian electricians, got the cow a bit of food and water, put a few hurdles round it and given some self-important PCSO the responsible job of keeping an eye on it.

Re: Police shoot cow in Grantham

Mark Holmes — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 10:21:23 GMT

You have clearly never known anyone to lose a dart - I have.

Re: Police shoot cow in Grantham

James Laidlaw — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 10:18:11 GMT

Well, if you read the report, 2 trained marksmen shot 4 times. In a town, crowded or not, 3 stray bullets would worry me more than a dart. Also, I wouldn't expect the dart to be left behind after being fired so the risks would be minimal. The whole situation seems absurd regardless.

Re: Police shoot cow in Grantham

Mark Holmes — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 23:38:25 GMT

Evelyn my point was that its not safe to say darting is safer than shooting assuming that the police arranged for it to be done by "competent hands" and not "Billy the Bullet". Having done a bit of both I reckon shooting would be preferable unless you have loads of space and few people or an animal that is already well contained. They could, of course, just bring it a bucket of feed but I'm sure somebody already thought of that!

Re: Police shoot cow in Grantham

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 22:43:17 GMT

[quote user="James Laidlaw"]Why not dart it? Would be safer than bringing out snipers in a populated area?!?![/quote]

Why not just leave the poor thing in peace for a few hours?

[quote user="Mark Holmes"]A bullet is pretty safe once it stops moving[/quote]

True but not at all reassuring.

[quote user="Mark Holmes"]Guns at least are pretty safe and predictable[/quote]

In competent hands.

Re: Police shoot cow in Grantham

Mark Holmes — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 22:06:26 GMT

[quote user="James Laidlaw"]Why not dart it? Would be safer than bringing out snipers in a populated area?!?!

[/quote] Not really, 800kg of Beef careering around excited and half sedated on a town centre, plus the risks of losing a dart half or more full if immobilon are just a could if risks that come to mind. A bullet is pretty safe once it stops moving - not so with a dart! Guns at least are pretty safe and predictable once the area is cleared, half sedated cattle are not.

Re: Police shoot cow in Grantham

James Laidlaw — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 20:48:18 GMT

Why not dart it? Would be safer than bringing out snipers in a populated area?!?!

Re: Police shoot cow in Grantham

Mark Hedberg — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 19:52:52 GMT

What a waste of a good banjo!

Re: Police shoot cow in Grantham

Gerry Henry — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 17:54:52 GMT

Went to a police range day years ago when in Maff and outshot the lot of them with every calibre of weapon they could produce; couldn't hit a bull on the arse with a banjo most of them.

Re: Police shoot cow in Grantham

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 17:47:43 GMT

‘We tried everything we could to capture the animal but it became increasingly distressed, aggressive and unpredictable." I suppose the good Superintendent wouldn't appreciate that he has both cause and effect in that sentence.

This sort of thing happens regularly, it seems. The police get over-excited – this is much more fun than dealing with thieves and hooligans – and they've got these "marksmen" so they have to give them something to do.

"Police marksman" is an oxymoron anyway. These clowns took four shots just to bring a cow down. I suppose we should just be glad they managed not to kill or injure anyone else in the process.

Incidentally, what authority does the RSPCA have to "give permission for it to be shot"?