Some non suspicious deaths investigated by the Police are, more often than not, passed over by the Police to the Procurator Fiscal to complete the enquiry.
When somebody dies, there is a duty on the doctor who has treated the deceased in their last illness to issue a Death Certificate, stating to "the best of his/her knowledge and belief", what the cause of death is.
If the Doctor is unable to do that, and there may be a variety of reasons why not, then the death will be dealt with by the Police
In these situations the Police will:
- Attend the scene.
- Arrange for the body to be identified.
- Inform relatives.
- Submit a report to Procurator Fiscals' office.
On receipt of that report, in order to prepare for a Fatal Accident Enquiry (should it be required) the Procurator Fiscal will:
- Make contact with deceased's relatives, usually by telephone
- Ring the general practitioner.
- Liaise with other agencies, e.g. Police, Ambulance service, Funeral Directors, and others.
Where a Doctor will not issue a death certificate a Post Mortem Examination will be required. The Procurator Fiscal will be responsible for:
- Informing the relatives.
- Telling them the cause of death.
- Explaining the result if they don't understand.
- Telling them about what to do next in terms of registering the death at the Register Office.
- Liaising with their appointed Funeral Director.
