The tragic moment when an officer informs family a loved one has died in a drink-drugs drive incident is shared in this heartfelt message from Lincolnshire Police Sergeant Mike Templeton.
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00:00 (gentle music)
00:02 - You attend the scene of a serious collision
00:05 and you become aware very quickly that it is now a fatality
00:09 and the scene can be absolutely horrific.
00:12 The most important thing we need to do,
00:16 apart from look after the dignity of the person involved,
00:18 is to find out who the next of kin is.
00:21 We do not want the next of kin finding out
00:23 through another source.
00:25 And as soon as you've got that, those details,
00:26 someone needs to be asked or volunteer
00:29 to go and pass the death message to the family.
00:32 You don't really think about what you're gonna say.
00:34 All you do know from your experience is what you do say
00:37 is gonna affect and change this family's life
00:40 and the life of their friends for good.
00:43 And when you approach the house,
00:44 sometimes you can hear people laughing inside
00:47 and it just makes it all the more horrendous
00:49 knowing that what you're about to tell them
00:51 is gonna stop that laughter.
00:53 And through experience, I know how different people react
00:58 and you never know until you get to the door.
01:01 And for that reason,
01:02 you can't script what you're gonna say either.
01:04 And you knock on the door
01:05 and what can seem like a lifetime before they answer it,
01:08 sometimes they look worried straight away,
01:10 sometimes they just seem really happy to see you,
01:12 but they don't know why you're there.
01:14 And it only starts to dawn on them
01:16 when you ask if you can step inside
01:20 and they're asking you why.
01:21 And again, because you want them
01:23 to be in the comfort of their own home,
01:25 you ask if you can step inside again.
01:28 And if realization hasn't hit by then,
01:30 it soon does when you ask them to confirm
01:33 if they are the next of kin.
01:34 Sometimes you can pass the message there and then,
01:39 other times they're that upset and that distraught,
01:44 they literally fall to the floor in front of you
01:46 and it can take a few minutes, just waiting patiently,
01:50 almost waiting for a break
01:51 before you can actually say the words
01:53 that their loved one isn't coming home again.
01:55 It's absolutely horrific for the families.
01:59 And you stay as long as you can.
02:01 You need to check on the welfare
02:02 of all those that are in the house as well.
02:04 The only thing you can then do
02:06 is try and explain the process,
02:08 what's going to happen with the family liaison officer
02:10 when they're appointed.
02:11 And then you leave.
02:13 And you leave them to the grief and you go to the next job.
02:19 (gentle music)
02:21 (gentle music)
02:24 (gentle music)
02:26 (gentle music)
02:29 (gentle music)
02:31 (gentle music)
02:34 (gentle music)
02:37 (gentle music)
02:39 (dramatic music)
02:42 (whooshing)