NCJ Number
79175
Journal
Police Review Volume: 89 Issue: 4615 Dated: (July 17, 1981) Pages: 1388-1390,1410
Date Published
1981
Length
4 pages
Annotation
In the second of three articles dealing with the role of physicians who advise the police, a British police surgeon discusses his role in cases involving violence and death and uses numerous illustrative anecdotes from his personal experience.
Abstract
Cases involving violence are constituting an increasing proportion of the police surgeon's caseload. Although some violent acts are called only vandalism, they can result in much harm. For example, smashing street lamps may permit others more easily to commit muggings or sex offenses. Throwing stones from a road bridge may lead to the deaths of those in the automobiles passing beneath the bridge. Fights inside or outside pubs are also common. Physicians should carefully examine injuries allegedly sustained during or after arrest to determine how they were inflicted. Most cases involving an injured prisoner also involve several injured police officers, who were involved in a struggle during the arrest or when putting the suspect into the cell. In cases of suspected nonaccidental injury to a child, the child should be sent on some pretext to the hospital for a complete examination. Physicians should also recognize that real accidents still occur. When faced with a dead body under suspicious circumstances, physicians must determine whether the death is an accident, a suicide, or foul play. Several cases involving hangings, a trail of blood, and other situations illustrate the difficulties involved in these cases. Post mortem injuries sustained in falls, murder-suicides, shooting incidents combined with intoxication, and injuries and deaths resulting from robberies are among the situations which may be encountered. Assistance from police officers and detectives and the use of photographs can all help police surgeons in their work. Suspects should be examined as soon as possible after apprehension. It may also be necessary to screen a large number of potential suspects if no suspect is immediately known. For discussions of drug and alcohol cases and cases involving sexual offenses, see NCJ 79174 and 79176.