Nottinghamshire Police dog handler nominated for Pride of Britain This Morning Emergency Services award
A Nottinghamshire Police dog handler who was seriously injured in an attack — yet still tracked down the suspect — has been nominated for a top award.
PC Chris Duffy was set upon from behind by a suspect in a dark alleyway in the early hours of Saturday March 11 last year, leaving him with a severe head wound which left his skull exposed.
Yet still, he got to his feet with his police dog Reno, and was able to locate his attacker — and even avoided further contact with the suspect, ensuring that forensic evidence was not contaminated.
The weapon used was never recovered, but the attacker was eventually jailed for 11-and-a-half years.
PC Duffy has now been nominated for a prestigious Pride of Britain This Morning Emergency Services award, and appeared on ITV’s This Morning show on Thursday to talk about his experiences, which left him still experiencing pain in his head wound.
Speaking about the nomination he said it was a “real honour” to be nominated for this award:
“What happened that night was difficult to come to terms with, and going back on duty was challenging at first, but I have 100 per cent faith in Reno and it’s been great to be back out there with him,” he said.
“We’ve been together for a long time now and I’m looking forward to continuing our service in the future.
“Being a dog handler is something I’ve always wanted to do and in my opinion it’s the best job in policing.
“I am thankful I am now able to continue doing this job alongside fellow officers who are doing fantastic work every day to keep the public safe.”
Superintendent Louise Clarke said: “Chris has shown a huge amount of courage – not only on the night in question but also over the weeks and months since he and PD Reno have returned to duty.
“In doing so he has shown all the qualities and more that the public expect from their police officers.
“We are really proud of Chris and hope this nomination helps to shed further light on the exceptional bravery and dedication he and his colleagues so often display as they work to keep the public safe.”
Inspector Simon Riley, Chair of the Nottinghamshire Police Federation, said: “I’ve known Chris for a long time now and know what an exceptional and dedicated officer he is.
“Coming back from this kind of incident and having the bravery to put yourself in harm’s way is really not easy, so I really am full of admiration for the courage he has displayed in returning to duty.
“He and Reno make a formidable team, and we are fortunate to have them here at Nottinghamshire Police.”
PC Duffy, a former firearms officer who has been a dog handler for six years, is one of four nominees for the Pride of Britain This Morning Emergency Services award.
The awards will be broadcast tomorrow (Monday) on ITV, hosted by Carol Vorderman and Ashley Banjo.