A police surgeon is a medical professional who works with law enforcement agencies to provide medical care and expertise in criminal investigations. They are also known as forensic medical examiners in London. Most police surgeons are general practitioners who work part-time as police surgeons, but there are increasing numbers of specialists in clinical forensic medicine. The duties of a police surgeon include:

• Examining prisoners who are detained in a police station in relation to illness, injury, and intoxication; drug-related problems; and mental disorders.
• Examining police officers and victims.
• Certifying causes of death.
• Investigating sudden and unexpected deaths and crime scenes.
• Providing a full history and advising hospital staff about photographs of wounds before they are sutured and identifying and preserving trace evidence.
• Giving a reasonable estimate of the time of death, establishing a likely cause, advising on the nature of trace evidence and its collection and preservation, and indicating any special characteristics of the assailant in murder cases.
• Being a member of a team that includes crime examiners, fingerprint officers, tire and footprint specialists, forensic scientists, and investigating officers at the scene of the crime.

The term "police surgeon" has been replaced by "forensic medical examiner" or "forensic physician" in some areas.