"Police shot cow 12 times"

From The Metro:

A constable and an acting sergeant blasted the beast eight times with a rifle and four times with a shotgun in what police called a 'humane destruction' on a school playing field. They said it was hard to hit the target because of 'a combination of wind speed, distance and type of gun used'.

Animal behaviour expert Dr Roger Mugford said their attempts appeared to be 'pretty incompetent'. He added: 'I've regrettably had to despatch cows and sheep before. A shotgun blast from close range to the forehead reliably kills with one shot.'

The cow shooting was one of 180 occasions that police firearms have been used to destroy wounded or dangerous animals in the past three years, figures released under the Freedom of Information Act have shown. Officers have also accidentally discharged their weapons 110 times since January 2007 – almost four times as often as when confronted with actual threats.

The cow had to be put down after it charged a police officer and a woman with a baby in Stockton-on-Tees in August last year. Chief Insp Ted Allen, from Cleveland Police, said: 'It was contained on the school field, but could still have got out. Our biggest concern was for the safety of the public from the animal and from our bullets.'

I don't think I mentioned the story at the time (which was given full coverage by The Soaraway Sun, for example), but what stands out, apart from the glorious Keystone Copness of it all is that '180 occasions... in the past three years', which averages out at more than one a week. Is the Thin Blue Line the only think protecting us from rampaging cattle? The public has a right to know!

And what on earth does 'put down' mean in this context? I'd describe it more as 'used for target practice'.