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A police officer saved a baby’s life after pulling over her parents’ car because it jumped two red lights.

PC Amanda Phipps and her colleague PC Mark Robinson pulled over mum Mariam Traore, 32, when they believed she may have been drink-driving last August.

But it turned Mariam and her boyfriend Mamadou were desperately trying to get to hospital with their two-week-old daughter Zara, who had stopped breathing.

PC Phipps, a mum-of-two, described how her colleague approached the vehicle and reported the situation to her over the radio.

Mariam then emerged from the car with her child in her arms.

PC Phipps, an officer of nearly 11 years, said: “My colleague leapt out and I heard him update on the radio saying, ‘two-week-old baby, not breathing’. Then I saw the mother get out of the car with the baby in her hands.

“So I jumped out of the passenger side and got in the back and she got in the back with me and gave me the baby. You forget how tiny they are. It was not quite a rabbit-in-the-headlights moment and I just said I would try.

(Image: Getty)

“She was not breathing and I just thought I had to get some air in, so I did some rescue breathing.”

PC Robinson then drove them all to hospital from the scene in Crawley, West Sussex, as PC Phipps carried on saving Zara’s life.

She added: “After about the third breath the baby then made a movement and a little noise. I just looked at the mum and said, ‘that’s a good thing’ - I think I said it more for myself.

“I just kept going with the rescue breathing until we got to the hospital. Then I got out of the car and just ran in and placed the baby down on the bed they had got ready.”

Zara, now 10 months old, fully recovered after spending three days in hospital and PC Phipps was this week given a commendation from Sussex Police.

She said: “For me this was probably one of the most difficult things to be presented with. It’s my worst nightmare to go to a child’s death. So there is an enormous sense of relief that everything was OK, and that you have played your part.”