When I get there, I’ll unlock the front door and call out “Hello”.

I’ll get a “Hello” or two back depending on whether it’s my wife in on her own or one or both of our children are there.

Whoever’s there, and however grumpy I am after a day at work, I’ll know I’m safely home after a day at work.

That’s pretty much the story of every day for me and for many of you – an ordinary day where you expect to end the day at home with the family you love.

But not everyone is ordinary like you and me.

There are extraordinary people all around us, the problem is we just don’t notice it enough.

PC Clough (L) and PC Blades (R) were killed when a Volkswagen Passat car, driving the wrong way down the A66 near Middlesbrough and carrying five young men, hit their car head-on

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Extraordinary people like Cleveland Police Constables Matthew Blades and Tom Clough.

In the early hours of Saturday morning, they were killed when a Volkswagen Passat car, driving the wrong way down the A66 near Middlesbrough and carrying five young men, hit their car head-on.

All seven men died instantly.

I don’t know for certain what led those five young men to do what they were doing in that car that night.

An investigation into suspected ‘joyriding’ is ongoing, and we should know more soon.

But I do know what PC Blades and PC Clough were doing.

They were doing what they had been doing throughout their career with the police force – putting their lives on the line to protect you and me.

They were being extraordinary.

Driving along that road they were responding to a call like they’d been trained to, instinctively and without thought for themselves. Putting others first.

It cost them their lives, like it has over 4,500 other police officers on duty in Britain who are remembered at the UK police memorial in Staffordshire.

Pressure has grown on Britain’s over-stretched police forces from all sides for many years.

Under-funded, under-manned, and under-appreciated.

Hampered by poor management and bad decision-making by politicians, rank and file police officers have been left vulnerable to criticism.

Sadly, it’s tragedies like this that remind us of the sacrifices made by the men and women working to keep communities safe across Britain.

But it shouldn’t take the deaths of these everyday heroes to stop us taking them for granted.

We should always keep the words of their grieving families in mind.

PC Blades was a husband and father-of-two, a pillar of the local community.

Amid unfathomable grief, his wife Sarah said: “No words will ever feel like the right words to honour our Matt — my beloved husband, my best friend, and the most devoted father to our two young boys.

“He gave his life in the line of duty, protecting and serving others with courage, dedication and selflessness.

“Forever loved. Forever missed. Forever our superhero. Our Matt and Dad.”

PC Clough was also a former soldier, an Iraq war veteran whose family described him simply as a “hero”.

They said: “He was our hero with a fantastic sense of humour. Jumped into action whenever needed, and willing to help anyone for any reason. Proudly fought for his country to make the world a better place. Always on public duty throughout his short life.”

I recently had the honour of speaking to Debbie Adlam, the mother of PC Andrew Harper, whose son was brutally killed aged just 28 after responding to a quad bike theft in 2019.

Due to Government plans to free two of her son’s killers under the controversial early release programme, she had been forced to re-live her agony in public all over again.

The strength of public feeling behind her is the same strength of public feeling about our police officers that has seen hundreds of thousands of pounds already raised for the families of PC Blades and PC Clough.

I could see the undying pride in her eyes as she talked about her son Andrew – and it’s a pride we should all share in the officers heading out to work each day, uncertain as to what they will be confronted with.

As Redcar MP Anna Turley said of PCs Blades and Clough: “They went to work to keep people safe, and they should have come home to their families.”

Tonight, I’m one of the lucky ones.

I’ll get my train home, walk down my street, unlock the door, and shout out “Hello.”

Never forget those families that tonight won’t hear that lock turning.

Never forget those families who tonight won’t shout out “Hello…”