Police Officer Recognized for Saving Infant’s Life

A police officer has been honored with an award for saving a three-month-old baby by performing CPR. PC Jack Clayton, who was on duty with South Yorkshire Police at the time, is set to receive the Royal Humane Society Resuscitation Certificate in April 2025. PC Clayton stated that he had “simply done his job.” He remarked: “It’s a really nice gesture. It’s great to see a positive reaction to police-related work and it’s nice to be recognised as a representative of the police.” He further added: “The primary function for us as police is to help people and it’s nice to see that recognised. “I simply did my job and I just did what I feel anyone in my position would have done.” In December 2023, PC Clayton was working as a response officer in Mexborough when he received an urgent call regarding a baby in cardiac arrest. The baby’s father was already performing CPR when PC Clayton took over. The infant was subsequently transported to a hospital and survived. He explained: “I knew the dad was going to need a break so I asked if he wanted me to take over and that is when I started conducting CPR.”The call handler on the phone was calling out the repetitions for chest compressions and breathing and I had to be very careful as the baby had been born prematurely, so in reality he was only three days old instead of three months old.” PC Clayton currently serves as a neighbourhood policing officer for the Doncaster East district, based in Thorne. Andrew Chapman, secretary for the RHS, commented that PC Clayton “richly deserved the award.” He stated: “In what must have been a harrowing scene, PC Clayton immediately began CPR on the baby and undoubtedly played a major role in bringing it back to life.“This is another of many cases we see that emphasise the value of as many people as possible, not just members of the emergency services, learning how to administer CPR.“It can, as it did here, make the difference between life and death.” The RHS is a British charity that presents medals, testimonials, and certificates for acts of bravery.