Knowledge Management
Coroner's Reports go on-line
There was immediate suspicion that the fire had started in suspicious circumstances and officers of the Organised Crime & Triad Bureau began a painstaking and thorough investigation. As a result of that investigation, 38 people were arrested and four men were each charged with offences of murder. These charges arose from the deliberate setting of the fire. Three of the defendants were each convicted of two counts of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. The fourth defendant was convicted of two counts of manslaughter and sentenced to a period of imprisonment of 11 years.
You may recall that this tragedy occurred at a karaoke in 1997, on January 25. You may have learned from the crime message and newspapers about the criminal trial and the subsequent case result. However, what were the causes of and the circumstances connected with the death of the deceased? And what were the recommendations made by the Coroner to avoid the recurrence of similar incidents? In the past, you would not be able to gain access to such information unless you were directly involved in the investigation of the case.
With the establishment of the Coroner's Office Database under the Knowledge Management menu on POINT, Force members are now able to read the Coroners' recommendations on concluded death inquests with a Police interest, such as persons who died in industrial accidents, inmates who died in hospital, the elderly who died at home and the death of someone in custody.
Investigation of such cases requires special knowledge and the recommendations made by the Coroners may enhance the professionalism of the investigating parties by highlighting what sorts of evidence should be pursued during the course of an enquiry. Such recommendations are provided by the Coroners to the Police on a monthly basis and placed in the aforementioned database for reference by members across the Force.
For enquiries or comments on Knowledge Management in general, please contact Ms Josephine Lau, the CIP ES SQ, at 2866-6958 or by e-mail at cip-es-sq@police.gov.hk.
