Sudden death: Coroner or copper?
The coroner determines if the death warrants police investigation, as the coroner has the technical expertise to figure such things out. In California, if you die of unknown cause while not under a physicians care, it is automatic autopsy (what the coroner does). This happened to me when my late partner died. It was over the New Year’s holiday, and the brutality was the WEEK delay before getting his remains to the funeral home. Obviously, I’ve no idea how this works in the UK, but the principles would be similar, I’m sure.
The coroner determines if the death warrants police investigation, as the coroner has the technical expertise to figure such things out. In the UK the coroner is a legal office, so it’s different from the US. Coroners are typically laywers rather than doctors, although some are medical professionals. They investigate sudden death by examining the evidence at a later date, rather than “hands-on” at a crime scene. As far as I know. But that’s what I want to know.
bruce:(1) Where a coroner has reason to believe— (a) that a death has occurred in or near his district in such circumstances that an inquest ought to be held; and (b) that owing to the destruction of the body by fire or otherwise, or to the fact that the body is lying in a place from which it cannot be recovered, an inquest cannot be held except in pursuance of this section,he may report the facts to the Secretary of State. (2) Where a report is made under subsection (1) above, the Secretary of State may, if he considers it desirable to do so, direct a coroner (whether the coroner making the report or another) to hold an inquest into the death. (3) Where a coroner is directed under this section to hold an inquest, the provisions of this Act and the law relating to coroners and coroners’ inquests shall apply with such modifications as may be necessary in consequence of the inquest being one into the death of a person whose body does not lie within the coroner’s district.Coroners Act 198
You might be interested in this brief history of the coroner system (from the Coroners’ Society website). Also the very useful Coroners’ Law Resource (from King’s College London). The first thing that happens, after someone dies, is that a doctor has to sign the death certificate. In most cases this is a purely routine matter. But if (e.g.) the cause of death is not immediately obvious, then the doctor will not sign a certificate, and the case will be referred to the coroner’s office. Depending on the circumstances, the coroner may order a post-mortem, or may call in the police — and the case proceeds from there. So the answer to your question is that the coroner and the police work very closely together, and it is quite possible for the coroner’s investigation and the police investigation to proceed simultaneously. The whole system is currently under r
