SA Police Officer of the Year 2022

 

CONGRATULATIONS go to Superintendent Mark Syrus,
named by Club President Ken Haines as the winner of the Rotary Club of Unley, SA Police Officer of the Year Award for 2022.

This award was established in 1978 in partnership with SAPOL to recognize outstanding service of police officers to the community and has been running for 44 years.

It is a community-based award where nominations are sought from the general public and organisations all over the state. It looks for officers who exceed the requirements of duty, volunteer in a significant way to give back to the community with courtesy, courage, kindness, understanding and compassion. This may be in the face of tragedy, trauma, natural disasters, or community development.

After 42 years of service at SAPOL, Mark is currently the Officer in Charge of the expansive Yorke Mid North Local Service Area. There were thirteen excellent nominations from across the state and Mark, nominated by David Wark of the Operation Flinders Foundation, was chosen for his outstanding record of community service to this organization since 1996. He has been deeply involved with organizing character and skills building 8-day Treks in the Flinders Ranges, as well as leading teams of at-risk young people on such Treks designed to transform their lives to become valued members of the community. His direct and indirect influence, leadership, compassion, and experience has had an enormous impact on developing the self-esteem, motivation, resilience, ambition, leadership, teamwork, and responsibility, of thousands of young people over the 25 years of voluntary service. This is regarded by Operation Flinders as unquestionable. Superintendent Mark Syrus fitted all the attributes looked for in the choice, by the Unley Rotary Club, of a winner for this year’s award.