Policeman saves choking four-year-old's life

The child's panicked mother carried him to the station in Lorca (Murcia) as it was the nearest port of call, and every second was vital.

One of the officers on the desk, seeing the tot was not breathing, performed the Heimlich manoeuvre on him, causing him to spit out the obstruction and recover instantly.

The mother and child were then attended to and calmed down by the saviour's colleagues.

It transpired the mother had not known how to do the Heimlich manoeuvre, which involves encircling the person with both arms from behind and applying sharp pressure to the entrance to the stomach.

Schools in many regions in Spain now have anti-choking masks for children which are easy to apply.

National Police learn first aid from the very beginning of their training and constantly take refresher course.

Whenever an ambulance or the fire brigade are called out in Spain, Local Police will automatically be summoned to the scene, too, since they are normally the first to be able to arrive and can start first aid or rescue operations whilst awaiting the main emergency services.