The Police and Bereaved Parents

One of a series of leaflets published by The Compassionate Friends The Compassionate Friends (TCF) is a charitable organisation of bereaved parents, siblings and grandparents dedicated to the support and care of other similarly bereaved family members. This leaflet has been written by bereaved parents for police officers. It concerns the difficult task of informing parents of the death of their child. The child(ren) may have been of any age, including adult, and death may have been from any cause – illness, unknown natural causes, accident, road traffic incident, drug abuse, homicide or suicide. We are aware that there are often guidelines or protocols that inform the actions of police officers in these circumstances. However, we do hope the following will be a useful supplement, written as it has been from our perspectives and experiences as bereaved parents. Initial contact One of the most distressing tasks you will have to face is breaking the news to parents that their child has died. In many instances they will be totally unprepared for such a devastating shock. Sometimes parents may already know of the death, but they will still need appropriate care and understanding. This tragedy will change the lives of every member of the family forever. Parents may exhibit a range of reactions , such as silence, disbelief, shock, hysterical crying, anger and even violence, along with a barrage of questions for which you may not yet have answers. If you find it a challenge to know how to respond, remember that it is very much worse for the parents. The Police and Bereaved Parents