The quick actions of two City of London Police officers have been praised, following vital intervention on a man who collapsed in a pub.

On Wednesday 11 December, Inspector Eamonn Keane and Police Sergeant Hollie Fraser, rushed to a pub near Bishopsgate Police Station at around 11:30pm, after a member of bar staff had alerted officers to a man needing medical attention.

Insp Keane and PS Fraser grabbed a defibrillator from the police station and attended the scene in less than a minute, where they found a 22-year-old man on the floor.

“It was really busy inside the pub and there was a crowd around him as some people tried to help, but from just the first look at him we knew he wasn’t breathing, we had to clear the people out of the way so we could put him on his back and help him,” Insp Keane said.

The officers got straight to work to help the man, with PS Fraser starting Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and Insp Keane preparing and using the defibrillator.

“While we were assisting the man, we did identify agonal breathing from the casualty,” PS Fraser said. “And we immediately knew we couldn’t stop CPR.”

They continuously provided CPR and used the defibrillator for around three minutes, until the arrival of City of London Police’s firearms officers, who can provide advanced medical care, such as assisting with airways and providing oxygen until the ambulance arrived.

Inspector Keane, 47, has been with the force for 19 years. He said instinct just kicked in when they were called for help.

“After years of training and doing first aid for a number of years, we knew what we needed to do and the mission was to keep performing CPR,” he said.

Thirty-one-year-old PS Fraser, who has been with City of London Police for seven years agreed.

She said: “It’s also making sure we’re doing everything we can for the casualty and making sure additional help is on the way.”

The officers also highlight the importance of having a defibrillator nearby as well as first aid training.

“We were able to immediately give life-saving first aid to the man. When London Ambulance Service (LAS) arrived, we heard that there was a pulse and he was stabilised before he was taken into the ambulance,” Insp Keane said.

PS Fraser added: “It’s also important to mention the team work across our force, the support from the tactical firearms group, and from the LAS.”

Commander Umer Khan, City of London Police, said:

“I’d like to commend Inspector Keane and Police Sergeant Fraser for their quick actions in performing life-saving first aid. They showed remarkable composure given the circumstances and acted swiftly and decisively to help save the man’s life.

“I am really proud of the work of our team, from the first response officers to our firearms officers, working together to help the young man and get him to hospital.”