South Yorkshire Heroes Honoured at Emergency Services Awards Night

South Yorkshire Police Federation has praised the fantastic work of three police officers who have been honoured at the South Yorkshire Emergency Services Awards.

Detective Inspector Mark Cockayne was named Police Officer of the Year in honour of a lifetime’s achievement with the force.

DI Cockayne joined South Yorkshire Police as a constable in Ecclesfield in 1996 and became a detective in 2004, rising to detective sergeant in 2009. After roles in burglary, intelligence and child-abuse teams, and a spell as temporary DI in PSD, he was appointed DI of Barnsley’s domestic abuse team in February 2022 and now leads the Barnsley Proactive Team.

The Dispatch Team were named Police Team of the Year, after being nominated for their “outstanding skills” in providing support to operational colleagues during critical incidents, while remaining calm under pressure and managing fast moving and constantly changing information.

Steve Kent, Federation Chair, said: “It is absolutely fantastic and I want to pay absolute credit to them all. They all do a fantastic job. It is important to hear positive stories like these.

“We are very proud of our own Mark Cocaine who has been a fed rep now for a number of years. He’s always been a great advocate for us and always been an absolute credit to us.

“We’re pleased and really proud of the work he does both in the Federation and core policing. Congratulations to all.”