Superintendent role for Wexford garda
A Wexford town based Garda Inspector has been promoted to the rank of Superintendent.
Inspector Denis Whelan, whose technical title is now Superintendent Designate, received the news on Thursday, July 26, that he was successful in his bid to move up the Garda ranks. While he is not expected to officially ‘get his stripes’ until the end of the year he told this newspaper that he is looking forward to getting control of a division.
‘Obviously, it will likely mean spending time away from Wexford but I would hope that I will be able to return here as quickly as possible,’ he said.
He said he is looking forward to overseeing policing in a new division and while he expects it to be a challenge it’s something he is very much looking forward to.
Superintendent Designate Whelan began his Garda career in 1995 and was appointed to his first station, in Shankhill, Dublin, the following year.
He was promoted to Wexford as a Garda Sergeant in 2007 and seven years later achieved the rank of Inspector - following which he was appointed to Bray.
Two years later he returned to Wexford. Although originally from County Wicklow the Superintendent Designate has been living in County Wexford since 2004 and said he regards the Model County as home. That’s why he hopes to get back here relatively quickly once he takes up his divisional appointment either later this year or early in 2019.
‘My long term goal will be to come back to Wexford so I hope I won’t be away for too long,’ he said.
A strong supporter of community policing he said he enjoys the close working relationship that exists between the Gardai in Wexford and local community groups and organisations. He also likes the interaction between the Gardai and local elected representatives and said the overall role of any policing force is to work closely with the community in tackling the various issues that arise.
It’s an approach he hopes to implement wherever he is appointed to: ‘Wherever I go I will work closely with the community.’
The work of any Garda can be time-consuming and Superintendent Designate Whelan was quick to acknowledge the support he has received from his wife, Shauna, and their daughter, Erin.
His own family is steeped in the tradition of an Garda Siochana as two of his brothers are also current serving members based in Tramore and Cork, respectively.