Quick action by a police constable saved a two-year-old girl from choking.

The community officer Andrew Caruana was on patrol in Triq San Publiju, Rabat, on Monday afternoon when he heard a commotion inside a nearby home, prompting him to knock on the door, the police force said. 

Finding the toddler struggling to breathe, he began administering first aid, eventually dislodging a small piece of meat from her throat. 

The girl quickly recovered but was taken to a doctor for observation. 

“The doctor said she only had a few more seconds of life,” the girl’s mother said. “I don’t know how to thank him [Caruana]. The Lord sent him.”

Caruana said: “It could have been any police officer. I was just at the right place at the right time. This was possible because of the increased number of community patrols, which allows us to better tackle incidents like this.”