THE last police officer to join the former Huddersfield Borough Police has died.
Derek George Haigh, 66, passed away in Huddersfield Royal Infirmary on January 16, after a short illness.
Mr Haigh grew up in Waterloo and left school at 15, to train as an apprentice at Brook Motors at the bottom of Chapel Hill.
He worked there for six years to become an electrical engineer before joining the police in 1968 – the same year the Borough Police ceased to exist.
It was replaced by West Yorkshire Constabulary, which later became West Yorkshire Metropolitan Police and is now simply West Yorkshire Police.
He started out on the beat in and around Huddersfield town centre.
He married wife Jean in 1970 and the pair had a son, Kevin.
The couple lived together in a police house in Newsome before buying their own house in Kirkheaton and later returning to Newsome.
More recently they have lived in Waterloo for many years.
They celebrated their ruby wedding anniversary in 2010.
Mrs Haigh said: “He loved his job. He loved talking to local people and helping them. He did a lot of work with the schools.”
During his 30-year career Mr Haigh was promoted twice, first to sergeant, where he was initially based at Brighouse and Hebden Bridge and finally as an inspector.
He served all of his police years in Huddersfield and Calderdale.
He retired in 1998.
The couple have enjoyed many happy times together.
Their son Kevin is a Major with the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC) currently living in Gloucestershire.
Mrs Haigh added: “Kevin is a major in the army. He has been all over, we visited them in Germany. We are so proud of him.”
Mr Haigh is survived by wife Jean, son Kevin, daughter-in-law Gill and grandchildren Thomas and Laura Jane.
His funeral was well-attended by family, friends and former colleagues at Huddersfield Crematorium on January 23.
