THE son of a celebrated police officer has followed in his father's footsteps after being commended for trying to bring him back to life.

Ethan Smith, who attends Prince Henry's High School, in Evesham, has received a commendation from West Midlands Ambulance Service 21 years after father Steve was honoured for saving a man's life in the Bosnian war.

Ethan found his father had collapsed after returning from school.

The 15-year-old rang 999 and followed CPR instructions over the phone, but despite his best efforts, Steve, who retired from the force in 2011, could not be revived.

Mr Smith, aged 54, died from an cardiac arrest at his home in Charlton, near Evesham, on Tuesday, January 10.

He served in the police force for 32 years and received the commendation in 1996 for saving the man's life in the Bosnian War as a gun was held to his head.

Now Ethan's award will take pride of place along with his father's in the family home.

Ethan said: "He always taught me to be calm in an emergency, he never panicked. It didn't really hit me until that night.

"People have been saying I should be proud of myself. I don't really think I deserve it."

Ethan paid tribute to his father and said he was quirky, funny and did not care what people thought of him.

Ethan's mother Beccie Smith, aged 51, said: "I'm so proud of Ethan. I said to him you did everything you could.

"They gave the commendation to him for his calm and collected manner.

"He's like his father. His dad received a Chief Constable's Commendation and I said I will hang it next to his."

The mother-of-two added her husband received the award for meritorious action while serving with the Western European Union in Bosnia.

"He saved the life of an Italian colonel when a riot broke out. He saw somebody had a gun to the colonel's stomach," she said.

"Steve raced over and put himself between the colonel and the gunman.

"He told him to calm down and the gunman put the gun to Steve's forehead. Eventually they moved away."

She added her husband would do anything for anyone and stood for what was right and just.

Since Mr Smith's death the family has raised £3,100 through friends, family and charity events, which will go towards a defibrillator for the village.

"We don't ever want another family to be in the position we are in now. A defibrillator could have potentially saved Steve's life," Ms Smith said.

Ms Smith, an assistant at Hopscotch Pre-School, in Pershore, discovered her husband's body with her son.

"I'd come from work and picked Ethan up from school. We came in and found Steve. Ethan dialled 999," she said.

"They gave him CPR instructions over the phone which he did until the ambulance staff arrived."

Ms Smith now wants to thank her neighbours who came into her home after she found her husband.

"They heard me shouting. The ladies were with me downstairs making tea while the male neighbour was upstairs with Ethan," she said.

"My neighbours are just wonderful. They were on a routine with food - every day someone would knock the door with a meal."

She added that despite Mr Smith having a heart problem the family was shocked when he had a cardiac arrest.