Woman dies following police contact - Metropolitan Police Service, May 2016

At 2.11am on 11 May 2016, a member of the public contacted the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) to report that a woman was hanging from the balcony of a high-rise building in west London and trying to jump.

At 2.15am, the MPS contacted the London Ambulance Service and London Fire Brigade. They were instructed to attend on silent approach, due to concerns that the woman might jump.

At 2.18am, attending officers reported that they could see the woman on the ninth floor balcony. Officers made their way up to the flat and spoke with her.

At 2.50am, the woman fell from the balcony. Paramedics and firefighters were already at the scene and administered first aid, but the woman was pronounced dead shortly after.

During the investigation, investigators obtained accounts from the attending officers and other witnesses, reviewed police logs, examined CCTV footage, and attended the post-mortem examination.

Evidence indicated that officers and staff in the control room, on the ground and on the ninth floor explored a range of options and tactics in an effort to prevent the woman from coming to harm. The police log, airwaves transmissions and witness accounts indicated that police reacted promptly, and with the woman’s best interests in mind. Based on the evidence available, the Investigator found no indication that any person serving with the police may have committed a criminal offence or behaved in a manner that would justify the bringing of disciplinary proceedings.

We completed our investigation in October 2017 but we waited until the inquest into the woman’s death had concluded in October 2018 to publish our findings.