A BARNSLEY Special Constabulary inspector has been awarded a Royal Humane Society award after she saved a three-year-old boy’s life.
Special Inspector Louise Rock is a volunteer police inspector within the Special Constabulary, and was on her way to work in June 2024 when she came across a road traffic collision on Haigh Lane in Barnsley.
As she arrived at the scene, she noticed a car had collided with a wall, blocking the carriageway with a number of distressed people and a man holding a child.
The child was unconscious and not breathing, and blood was coming out of his mouth, and Louise quickly jumped into action and performed first aid on the toddler.
Once the child began to breathe, Louise placed him in the recovery position and monitored him until paramedics arrived, at which point she liaised with them before checking on the child’s mother.
Louise’s heroic actions have been highly praised by her colleagues within the Special Constabulary and across the wider force, including Special Constabulary Chief Officer Craig Batham MBE.
S/Chief Officer Batham said: “S/Insp Rock demonstrated tremendous professionalism and quick thinking while dealing with a difficult situation off-duty, proving that while she is a volunteer police officer with a day job outside of SYP, that officers are never truly off-duty.
“During the incident, S/Insp Rock had to take into account the distress the child’s family were in, the structural safety of the wall which had been hit, members of the public who had gathered due to the collision, and the privacy of the child and his family.
“We are extremely proud of her professionalism and dedication to help the local community, whether on or off-duty, and we are extremely pleased that her efforts contributed in saving a life. She is truly worthy of recognition by receiving a Royal Humane Society award.”
The Royal Humane Society awards medals, testimonials and certificates for acts of bravery in the saving of human life and for effecting successful resuscitations. For her act of bravery, Louise received the ‘Resuscitation Certificate’ from the Royal Humane Society at the end of March.
