Policy
This policy is under review. Whilst the full review is awaited this document remains in place with the exception of the deployment processes, which will now be in accordance with the Incident Management and Deployment Procedures.
Policy: / Sudden Death PolicyApproved date: / August 18th 2010
Owner: / Detective Superintendent Major Crime
For release under Freedom of Information? / No
Equality, diversity and human rights relevance H/M/L / Medium
Supporting procedures also in policy library: / · The Standard for the Investigation of Sudden Death(Attached to policy)
· ACPO Policy Document – Death Abroad
· NHS / ACPO Memorandum of Understanding
· Deaths involving Police Contact
· Prison, Probation, Immigration, Deaths in Custody
· Death in remote and mountainous areas
· Deaths on land owned by Ministry of Defence
· Work related deaths
· Sudden & Unexplained Child Death procedures(Ch 13 LSCB procedures)
Contact for advice: / The Force Major Incident Team
VERSION CONTROL
Status / Date / Reason for Change / AuthorisedReviewed / Oct 2011 / Reviewed / Det Supt Paul Smith
1 INTRODUCTION
This policy and the supporting procedures set the standards that should be attained for the dealing with sudden, unexplained or suspicious deaths or any other deaths that the police are required to investigate on behalf of HM Coroners. They apply to all members of the Constabulary who may be involved in such investigations.
The policy will reassure the public that reports of sudden, unexplained or suspicious deaths will receive the appropriate level of investigation and attention. The supporting Information to this Policy will result in all Cumbria Constabulary staff being clear about their general and specific responsibilities in attending the scene of a sudden death and investigating a report of a death.
2 AIMS
The aims of this policy are to:
· To define the various categories of death likely to be encountered by Cumbria Constabulary staff and to provide guidance and direction with regard to the appropriate level of response.
· To ensure that a thorough and effective investigation takes place detailing the roles and responsibilities of staff involved in such incidents.
· To ensure that the investigation into a death meets the statutory responsibilities of HM Coroners.
3. TERMS AND DEFINITIONS
The terms of this policy is to inform members of the Constabulary how to respond and deal with a report of a sudden, unexplained or suspicious death.
Categories of death:
Sudden
Where a person dies and the deceased’s GP, at the time of police attendance, was unavailable or unable to issue a death certificate. There must be no obvious cause for concern present for a death to fall within this category.
Unexplained
Where a person dies and there is no obvious reason for this to have occurred by reason of circumstances or situation. This does not include such deaths that are believed to be as a result of natural causes.
Suspicious
Where a person dies and there is evidence of violence, evidence of other third party involvement, evidence of an unlawful act, evidence of the use of a noxious substance, exposure to or contact with a domestic utility or evidence of other circumstances that there is cause for concern.
It must be emphasized that a reported death may move from one category to another as the investigation progresses. The overriding principle is that staff should treat any death as suspicious until it is assessed otherwise.
HM Coroner referrals
There will be instances where an investigation into a person’s death will be requested by HM Coroners. These requests will be brought to the attention of the Area DCI for further attention.
4. THE POLICY
The Detective Superintendent Major Crime is the owner of the Policy and is responsible for ensuring it is implemented and for referring any proposed changes to the Policy through the corporate decision making process for agreement.
Individual managers and supervisors are responsible for ensuring that the Policy is applied in their area of operations
Members of the Constabulary investigating sudden deaths are responsible for complying with the policy and the procedures set out in “The Standard for the Investigation of Sudden Death”.
When applying the standards and procedures staff will ensure that any cultural issues in respect of the deceased are considered and discussed with the family. Whilst it is fully acknowledged that certain cultures have strict customs in respect of burial it might be necessary for the effectiveness of the investigation to prevent the burial taking place within the required time. This will be sensitively discussed with the family by the Senior Investigating Officer and Family Liaison Officer.
When investigating any death staff will consider the individual needs of any person with whom they are dealing with. They should be particularly sensitivity to their age, gender, ethnicity or cultural background, religion, sexual orientation and disability / medical condition,
5 SUPPORTING INFORMATION
Where the following documentation is mentioned in these procedures there is a Website link to that document
· Murder Investigation Manual (MIM) 2006
· Major Incident Room Standardised Administrative Procedures 2005
· Core Investigative Doctrine 2005
· ACPO National Road Death Investigation Manual
· Deaths in Health Care
· The role of HM Coroner
6 MONITORING AND REVIEWING
The policy and its Supporting Information will be reviewed annually by the Detective Superintendent Crime Operations. Monitoring will be through the Force Major Crime Unit.