Police officer drove after suspect who left him with a seven-inch wound

Every day members of our emergency services risk their lives to save complete strangers, without expecting any recognition.

But, on October 21, The Mirror will honour their extraordinary work with a Pride of Britain Award.

The winner will be chosen from an impressive line-up of shortlisted finalists for the This Morning Emergency Services Award.

One is PC Chris Duffy, 37, who in March 2023, along with his Alsatian police dog Reno was called to a pub in Mansfield, Notts., after reports staff had been threatened with violence.

Reno, six, sniffed out one suspect hiding in a driveway.

PC Duffy detained him, but another man, who they had mistaken for an onlooker, attacked him from behind with a large blade, inflicting a seven-inch wound, so deep that it exposed his skull.

He said: "Reno was outstanding on the night. He tracked the first person who ran away, and detained him by biting him so if it wasn't for him, we wouldn't have found the suspect."

"He was exceptional and there was nothing he could do when I was hit from behind."

Spotting his attacker, as he returned to his car, PC Duffy gave chase, despite his injury, driving the suspect towards fellow officers who detained him.

PC Duffy added: "It was a sneaky, cowardly attack from behind. In the end, we chased him down, we caught him, and he lost."

The police officer, from Nottingham, returned to work after four weeks and he and Reno later represented Nottinghamshire Police at the national police dog trials.

Speaking of being shortlisted for a Pride of Britain Award, Chris said: "To know someone has nominated me and thinks I did well in an awful situation is humbling."

Another finalist is a lifesaver with over 35 years of service, Hewitt Clark, now 79, who has helped to save 319 lives and worked on 423 rescues, as part of the RNLI's Lerwick crew.

Joining them in 1965, aged 20, first as an apprentice mechanic, before becoming coxswain in 1979, he was awarded three bronze medals, two silver medals and a gold medal for bravery, during his time volunteering.

Hewitt, who still helps the crew on training exercises despite being retired, received his gold medal in 1997 for his part in one of the most dangerous rescues in the RNLI's 200 year history.

In treacherous conditions on November 19 that year, he and his crew rescued 15 crew members from the 300 tonne cargo vessel Green Lily, which had suffered engine failure and was being driven onto rocks by 50 foot waves.

A coastguard winchman was killed, but all 15 men on the Green Lily were saved.

Community support officer Lucas Summers is another finalist. He risked his life by leaping into the path of an oncoming train to pull a suicidal woman to safety one evening in December 2022.

Working alongside the British Transport Police, he was on patrol in Maidenhead when he was alerted to a person of concern at the railway station and found the young woman standing on the edge of the platform.

He tried to persuade her to step back, but she told him and his partner to back off and jumped onto the train tracks.

A train was approaching at around 90mph, but Lucas, from Lewisham, south east London, jumped onto the tracks and pulled her to safety seconds before the train passed through.

He said: "I was not going to let that person die."

Chief Superintendent Chris Casey said: "Having seen the train's forward-facing CCTV, I am in awe. Our brilliant PCSOs never fail to impress."

A British Transport Police spokesperson said: "The PCSOs acted quickly and bravely to remove the person and themselves from the path of the oncoming train with only a couple of seconds to spare."

The Royal Humane Society awarded both Lucas and his partner Bronze medals, and their Police Medal for 2023.

Now nominated for the Pride of Britain Emergency Services Award, Lucas said: " I'm very proud to be nominated and if I get chosen, I'll feel very privileged.."

Firefighters Jonathan Burch, Christopher Sweeny and Nick Willis bravely rescued a swimmer who had become trapped by the tide in Jersey's St Quen's Bay last August, when conditions were too dangerous to launch a rescue boat.

Jonathan entered the water as part of the rescue mission, shielding the swimmer from the impact of the waves, while Christopher and Nick pulled them to safety, after several attempts.

Jonathan, who was taken to hospital along with the swimmer, said: "I got injured during the incident and was off for a couple of months. I smashed up my hip and had a few cuts and bruises."

Chief fire officer, Paul Brown, said: "There is no doubt that their efforts saved the life of the man in the water."

With the trio of rescuers now jointly shortlisted for the Pride of Britain award, Jonathan said: "It's great to be nominated. It's what we're trained to do and it could've been any other watch but we were surprised that it got picked up."

"Being shortlisted is amazing and seeing the company we are in is great as well."