Why police become involved in a death
The reporting of a death to the Police does not necessarily mean that a crime has been committed. By law, anyone who finds a body in New Zealand must report the death to the Police, who then establish whether the death needs to be reported to a coroner.
For most deaths, a doctor is able to sign a medical certificate stating cause of death. This is usually done if the deceased was a recent patient and the doctor can be certain of the cause of death.
The Police must by law report the following deaths to a coroner:
- without known cause, suicide, unnatural or violent;
- where a doctor cannot give a certificate as to cause of death;
- that occurred during, or as a result of, a medical, surgical or dental procedure;
- that occurred while, or as a result of, a woman giving birth; and
- while the deceased was in official custody or care.
