I throw this question out to the more seniors out there and those with medical and legal knowledge far in excess of my own. I pose this question.
A member of the public who has been physically assaulted and badly injured flags Pc Plod down.After initial first aid and Ambulance called brief details of incident and necessary details taken.Pc Plod accompanies said victim to the nearest A&E for treatment.Upon arrival victim gets totally unreasonable and refuses medical help or treatment and refuses (almost but not quite to verbal abuse) police assistance in the matter of their assault.Victim then heads out of A&E despite repeated requests, advisements and warnings to get medial assistance.
So, what happens next?
Where does Pc Plod stand if a few days later victim is found dead at home and once details checked the powers that be find Pc Plod was the last contact with the victim.
Duty of care?
I ask you what exactly would you do!
Todays study - COUNTER-TERRORIST POWERS
8 comments:
Not a lot you can do. If the person refuses treatment and is sane, they have that right.
It's certainly not your fault you could hardly have arrested them. Unless for witholding evidence about the assult (assuming that is that you can arrest for non-coperation).
So I would say Pc Plod is in the clear, mind you what I say wouldn't count for diddly if Pc Plod is before the powers that be.
I agree with anon. You can offer a competent adult help, but if they refuse, it is down to them. Common sense suggests a few questions to establish the basic is-this-guy-a-nutter test, but after that, off he goes.
The Ways and Means Act has sometimes led officers to nick person on Breach of the Peace just to get them into the system. Custody Sergeant will probably cover his arse by calling out the FME, and suspect will just possibly be sectioned or, more probably, be turned out onto the street to start again.
Without the druggies and the marginally insane what quiet lives we would all lead!
Well you can't exactly spend the rest of the shift touring the neighbourhood looking for a person who may or may not be dying on the street, so I guess it's a lengthy pocketbook entry with lots of direct speech from the person involved and maybe a call to the duty sergeant.
Unless they're 136, of course.
As much as I thought on the matter.
:)
I'm not in the police, but if he was suddenly that unreasonable, I would suspect he was, now sure he wasn't going to die, remembering he is hiding something, and I would probably search him under whatever these new Suss laws allow. He might have gotten a kicking for being a dealer on the wrong street, and so if you search him, then arrest him, you've gotten a free detection, you don't need to worry about him dying on you, and who knows? The court might give him more than a slap on the wrist.
(Though the courts seem to consider vigilante justice sufficient to teach the criminal a lesson anyway, and reserve the actual book-throwing and harsh sentences for when the vigilante is caught!)
Here's what I would do:
1. Cris and Crimint for the original assault (make sure you get cctv if available and book in to 66)
2. Pocketbook entry or IRB for the hospital incident, if he signed out against medical advice on his medical chart ask the medical staff for a copy (blanking out medical details if required), book the medical record into the 66.
3.Details of medical staff and security
4. Speak to supervisor and get their name on the cad somewhere
End of the day duty of care is about doing everything you can, which here you did.
Most important thing is to write it up - which is what most people don't do enough of and why most people end up being dealt with by DPS.
Poster above -
That was what I ended up doing as a matter of course and is sound advice to others who find them selfs in a similar situation
Excellent advice.
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