To celebrate 30 years of the Police Bravery Awards, the Police Federation of England and Wales introduced the Heart of Policing Award to celebrate an exceptional example of care and empathy.

PC Tom Vinall’s high level of empathy, compassion and clear and calm engagement, ultimately led to saving the life of a vulnerable female, sitting on a ledge in a hazardous derelict building.

In May 2024, a member of the public contacted Kent Police in the early hours of the morning raising concerns for the welfare of a young lone female who they had witnessed walking into a derelict building.

PC Tom Vinall was one of the first officers to arrive on scene, with the building being dark with no lighting and hazardous debris such as lumps of concrete all across the area.

After a short time, PC Vinall managed to observe the female sat on a ledge approximately five metres above him, with her legs hanging over the ledge. Initially, the female was silent and it was clear she had intentions to take her own life from what was being presented to him.

PC Vinall immediately began to engage with the female. The tone of his voice was calm, quiet and not panicked which led to the female feeling comfortable to engage with him but remained at risk of harm given her position.

He was able to establish with the female as to how she had made her way to the high ledge and immediately made his way to join her, all the while trying to reassure her and giving her clear instructions of what he wanted her to do.

Once he had joined the female on the ledge, he continued with clear and calm engagement, telling her at each stage what he was doing.

Throughout this entire interaction, PC Vinall maintained a rapport with the female who was visibly upset and in crisis, speaking about his own family to try and help put the female at ease.

After some time, PC Vinall was able to then remove the female from the ledge and supported her outside of the building where she was able to be transferred to the appropriate medical and mental health support.

Upon collecting the award, PC Vinall said: "I wanted to save her because I know life is so much better than death. I am feeling absolutely awesome receiving the very first award.”

Kent Police Federation Chair, Neil Mennie said: “This shows why policing is about far more than just catching criminals. Tom has demonstrated the importance of care and empathy when dealing with vulnerable people in distressing situations.

“The protection and preservation of life are a fundamental part of being a police officer. Tom has exemplified this and is a credit to the profession.”

Chief Constable Tim Smith said: "Police officers are often required to help people during their darkest days, showing empathy and kindness to help them see a way forward.

"PC Tom Vinall put a vulnerable woman’s safety ahead of his own when he entered a derelict and hazardous building to prevent her coming to harm, and by doing so he demonstrated the finest qualities of a police officer.

"I and the rest of the force are very proud of him for his lifesaving actions, as we are of every Kent Police officer who provides such a fantastic service to the people of the county."

The award was the brainchild of Bravery Awards judge and Chair of the Independent Scrutiny Oversight Board, Abimbola Johnson, who said:

“This is a form of bravery that is essential to emergency responses and can be overlooked and undervalued in policing. It felt particularly poignant therefore to establish a new category in the 30th year of these awards to recognise this bravery which has been labelled 'The Heart of Policing'."