A DETECTIVE inspector working in Barnsley has been named the ‘Police Officer of the Year’.
DI Mark Cockayne was presented with the award in a ceremony at the annual South Yorkshire Emergency Awards last Monday.
After beginning career as a police constable in Ecclesfield in 1996, DI Cockayne has since worked in various teams and became a detective in 2004.
He worked in the burglary unit and reactive team, managing several complex investigation, before becoming a detective sergeant in 2009.
As a DS, he worked in the intelligence development unit, the source handling unit, Sheffield Proactive Team, Performance Crime Team before working as a child abuse detective sergeant.
DI Cockayne was also a temporary DI in PSD and in February 2022, he joined Barnsley as the DI in the domestic abuse team.
With a continued thirst to learn, DI Cockayne then moved into the reactive team and into the Barnsley Proactive Team, where he currently works, and he has led several successful investigations.
His citation reads: “Mark is a credit to himself and SYP - he is a great detective, with core values of honesty, integrity and fairness.
“He continually helps his colleagues either just by listening, sharing his vast knowledge and experience or more formally through the federation work he does.
“It is a genuine pleasure to know Mark as a person and as a colleague.”
