Wexford district gets four new Garda recruits

WEXFORD DISTRICT is to benefit from more gardaí on the streets after four new garda recruits were appointed.

The four new recruits will be based out of Wexford Garda Station and arrived having served seven months in Templemore and now being a probation period which lasts for two years. They are part of 10 new recruits assigned to Co Wexford, with the other four heading for Wexford town.

Coming from Kildare, Carlow, Cork and Kilkenny, the new gardaí are looking forward to becoming part of the local community and are currently operating under the guidance of a tutor garda who will mentor them and show them the ropes locally.

As part of their training, the new gardaí must attend a total of 17 classes with training staff and they were busy learning from Training Sergeant Niall Brophy in New Ross last week.

‘Over the coming weeks they’ll be attending things like inquests and courts to see how everything works,’ said Sgt Brophy. ‘Then they’ll also have to submit assignments and projects, one of which includes engaging with local community projects and groups and to help solve some community based problems. They’ve completed seven months in Templemore and after their two year probation period, they’ll be given a BA in Applied Policing from the University of Limerick.’

The presence of new gardaí on the streets of County Wexford is certainly something to be welcomed and the first batch of new recruits since the moritorium on recruitment was lifted in 2005 have recently just become fully-qualified, fully-fledged members of An Garda Síochána.