Detective Sargeant Darren Barker joined the Met in March 1992 and enjoyed 29 years of service (credit: Metropolitan Police Service)
Detective Sargeant Darren Barker was admitted to hospital in late January and passed away late on Friday, 12 February, surrounded by his close family.
DS Barker, a specialist financial investigator within the Met’s Specialist Operations Command, was shielding throughout the pandemic due to being classed as vulnerable.
Mr Barker continued to work from home and supported his colleagues on various investigations, including an ongoing, highly complex multi-national money laundering investigation.
DS Barker joined the Metropolitan Police in March 1992, and spent the majority of his 29 years of service as a detective working in various specialist investigations and roles.
Mr Baker is survived by his parents, Eric and Sheila, his wife Caroline, his two adult children Christian and Lauren, as well as his brother, Eric Barker, who is a serving Met Police constable in the north London area.
Detective Chief Superintendent James Harman, from the Met’s Specialist Operations Command, said: “Darren was a much loved and respected friend and colleague for so many of us across the Met. He was well known for his sense of humour and his positive, gentle nature – but also for his incredible work ethic, professionalism and dedication to duty throughout his long career as a police officer.
“Darren was an extremely talented detective. Despite the challenges of shielding he continued to work on a number of high-profile complex investigations, and his leadership during these investigations was truly invaluable. He will be remembered fondly by everyone he worked with, and will be greatly missed by us all. We are truly saddened by his loss and our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time.”
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Tags: Metropolitan Police, Coronavirus, Met, Covid-19
