Knowledge
Management
Medico-legal Death Investigation
The English Coroner System, which we inherited in Hong Kong, can be traced back to 1194 AD when the 'Articles of the Eyre' was released. These required each county to elect 'Keepers of the Pleas of the Crown'. One of the functions of these early officials was to conduct death investigations and inquests to determine whether a death had been an accident, suicide, homicide or otherwise.
Nowadays, in all jurisdictions, some form of medico-legal investigative machinery exists for determining the cause of an individual's death. This is essential, not only to comply with legal requirements, but also to provide a clinical audit for those responsible for public health.
Despite the advances of forensic technologies in recent years, the establishment of the true causes and manners of death still rests heavily on a properly coordinated and thorough investigation. This would inevitably need to take into account every aspect regarding the history and circumstance surrounding the death, the findings at the scene, as well as pathological and other scientific findings.
In Hong Kong, Police officers are responsible for conducting death investigations on behalf of the Coroner. The investigating officer is an essential component in the multi-disciplinary investigation of sudden, unexpected and unnatural deaths. Recently, there have been some instances in which the quality and standard of the death investigation process has been criticised. There are many explanations for the shortcomings, but most included an inadequate understanding of the process by the case investigators, inconsistent or incomplete background knowledge, and a breakdown in communications with other personnel.
These are some of the issues that led to the development of a new chapter, Medico-legal Death Investigation, on the Forensic Pathology Database in the Knowledge Management System. The new chapter does not amend or replace any guidelines contained in Force Manuals. It simply consolidates the fundamental principles underpinning death investigation and contains materials that will serve as a handy reference guide on the basic knowledge and skills that are expected of investigators.
It is hoped that the information and advice it contains will improve death investigators' understanding of essential fundamental knowledge and encourage a sharing of experience between them. Officers must fully appreciate that death investigation is in continuous development and becoming ever more sophisticated. It is vital that they not only keep abreast of the latest advances but also acquire the skills to use them through mentorship and practical experience. A death investigator's acumen can only grow through recognising and correcting any shortcomings.
The information is provided by Dr. Hau Kong-lung, Consultant Forensic Pathologist (Kowloon).
For enquiries or comments on KM in general, please contact Josephine Lau, the CIP ES SQW, at 2866-6958 or by e-mail at cip-es-sq@police.gov.hk.
