Assistant Chief Constable Hayley Barnett

Assistant Chief Constable Hayley Barnett has more than 26 years' experience in policing and holds the Crime and Protecting Vulnerable People portfolios for the force.

Hayley's policing career began at Derbyshire Constabulary in 1998. There she worked on response and later the drugs squad, paving the way for various detective roles including within counter corruption, CID and public protection.

As a chief inspector, Hayley led on the forcewide rollout of the Niche records management system, which replaced several older police systems and improved processes.

Hayley was promoted to detective superintendent in 2017, working as Head of Serious Organised Crime Operations at the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU). As the regional lead for kidnap and extortion, she led a number of high-risk operations, including some with international impact.

In September 2020, Hayley was appointed divisional commander for North Derbyshire. Alongside leading through the Covid pandemic, she strengthened partnerships and was gold commander for several high-profile incidents.

Hayley's final role in Derbyshire was Head of Corporate Services, championing her passions around service improvement and equality.

Hayley joined South Yorkshire Police in 2024 and brings with her extensive experience as a strategic firearms commander. She is also a multi-agency gold incident commander.

She holds an MSt in Applied Criminology and Police Management from the University of Cambridge. She is married to a retired Derbyshire officer, and outside of work enjoys socialising, travel, cycling and running.