'He was trying to cry, but couldn't': Police officer saves choking baby while attending to family dispute
It was the first time the officer had performed a life-saving procedure.
A police officer's quick thinking saved the life of a baby who choked while he was attending to a family dispute at a Tampines flat.
The incident took place on Sept 19 at an HDB flat along Tampines Street 33, where Sergeant Muhammad Ammar bin Abdul Razak, 27, helped to resuscitate an infant.
The Singapore Police Force (SPF) shared details of the incident on Oct 22.
On the night of the incident, Sgt Ammar had just started his shift when he received a call from the Police Operations Command Centre to respond to what appeared to be a routine domestic dispute. A man had reported that his wife and their domestic helper were quarrelling at home.
Before arriving at the scene, Sgt Ammar and another officer discussed how they would handle the matter. "As usual, my partner and I will assess the situation prior to arrival," Sgt Ammar recalled. "In this case, we believed that separating both parties and having proper mediation would solve the issue."
Infant shows signs of distress
When they arrived, the officers began mediating between the wife and helper. Suddenly, the woman ran to the living room and picked up her baby boy, who appeared unresponsive.
"She ran towards me with her baby, shouting, 'Help, officer! My baby is choking!'" Sgt Ammar said. "He was trying to cry but he couldn't, and his cheeks were turning purple."
After requesting assistance from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), he began performing emergency aid. Holding the infant face-down on his forearm, he delivered several back blows to dislodge the obstruction in the baby's airway.
After several attempts, the baby vomited out fluid and began crying.
A few minutes later, SCDF officers arrived and took over. They assessed the baby's condition and found him to be stable before conveying him to the hospital.
Later, Sgt Ammar and his colleague resumed their duties, helping the family members to resolve the earlier dispute.
First solo rescue after completing first aid training
Sgt Ammar, who completed mandatory first aid training in April this year, said it was his first time performing a rescue on his own.
Although he had previously responded to cardiac arrest cases through the myResponder app, he had never personally carried out a lifesaving procedure.
He added that the experience of caring for his one-year-old nephew helped him stay composed during the incident.
"This incident affected me in many ways, one of which was to make me realise that as an officer, I must be as well-prepared as possible for any situation."