Previous page | Contents | Next page
SECTION 16.3
MILITARY FATALITIES AND THE BEREAVED
Contents
Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 77
Planning and preparing for fatalities ............................................................................... 78
Estimates of UK military fatalities ............................................................................. 78
Repatriation policy .................................................................................................... 79
Preparing to hold civilian inquests ............................................................................ 80
Support for bereaved families ......................................................................................... 83
The Casualty Notification Officer and Visiting Officer ............................................... 83
Immediate remedial action on bereavement procedures .......................................... 84
Joint procedures and a Joint Casualty Co‑ordination Cell ........................................ 89
Training and support for Casualty Notification Officers and Visiting Officers ..... 91
The experience of bereaved families ........................................................................ 92
Early concerns about military investigations ................................................................... 94
Impact of a study on military inquiries and investigations, March 2004 .................... 94
Review of Service Police investigations, October 2004 .......................................... 100
Changes to MOD processes ......................................................................................... 103
Creation of the Army Inquest Cell ........................................................................... 104
Reducing the number of redactions in BOI reports released to families ................. 105
Creation of the Defence Inquests Unit .................................................................... 107
Introduction of Service Inquiries ............................................................................. 113
Efforts to reduce the backlog of inquests, 2005 to 2007 ............................................... 113
Support for the Oxfordshire Coroner ...................................................................... 113
Discussions on funding .................................................................................... 117
Progress in clearing the backlog of inquests .................................................... 119
Efforts to transfer more inquests to local coroners ................................................. 121
Support for the Swindon and Wiltshire Coroner ..................................................... 125
Efforts to improve the inquest process, 2006 to 2009 ................................................... 126
US participation in inquests .................................................................................... 126
Legal representation at inquests ............................................................................. 130
The Coroners and Justice Act, 2009 ....................................................................... 135
75
Previous page | Contents | Next page