Page 90 - Once a copper 10 03 2020

We would need to note any open windows or signs of a forced entry. It was
considered vital for the preservation and continuation o evidence to note th
position of the body, describing the body in detail and any contact we may
have had with it. On suspicion of a suspicious death, we were to contact our
supervisor. While waiting for a supervisor, and most likely the CID and Scenes
of Crime Officers (S.O.C.O.), our primary function would be to preserve any
potential crime scene.

When attending a sudden death, a further responsibility was safeguarding
the deceased’s property, including personal property and in some cases the
premises where they were found. If we had to remove valuables for safe
keeping, we were to obtain a witness and write all the details in our pocket
notebooks. Cash, jewellery and other valuable items were taken to the police
station for safe keeping and recorded in the property register.

The officer attending would have to identify who the deceased is. When
relatives or friends of the deceased were present this would make the
process relatively easy. In the absence of relatives at the scene w would
need to adopt various actions to confirm identity, such as checking mail and
diaries to help identify the victim and their next of kin, looking for a suicide
note.

Sympathy and compassion would be a priority when asking questions of
grief-stricken relatives or friends. If no next of kin is present at the scene, it was
the police responsibility to contact them as soon as possible, it was
considered better to hear the news from an officer who has been trained
than a neighbour or other person.

As soon as was practical after attendance at the scene of the sudden death,
the officer would have to complete a Sudden Death Report. This would
typically contain the name, address, date of birth and place of birth of the
deceased, any known medical history, identify who found the body, as well
as where and when they found it, who pronounced the person deceased, at
what time and where, if relatives/friends have been traced, the last person to
see the deceased alive and where they were seen, who identified the
deceased, where they identified them, their address and relationship to the
deceased, next of kin, where the body was removed to, any personal
property, any evidential property, the circumstances of death, if SOCO has
photographed and examined the scene, are the police are treating the
death as suspicious? Any other agencies involved?

The Coroner

A Coroner is appointed by the Secretary of State to investigate the
circumstances of a death. A Coroner must have a minimum of five years’ Page90
experience, either as a lawyer or a Doctor of Medicine. It is the coroner’s