After four decades, Caheragh native Chief Supt Con Cadogan has bid farewell to two Cork garda divisions. Drug-related crime and keeping community links are the greatest challenges facing the force, he believes
AS Chief Supt Con Cadogan signed off on his last day in An Garda Síochána after 40 years and two months, the Star interview was his last official appointment at his office, upstairs at Bandon Garda Station.
Most of his personal items had already been neatly packed away and Con was putting the finishing touches to signing off on an impressive career before he left to join his close-knit team for a well-earned farewell breakfast.
He was reflective on his long and varied garda career which, in more recent years, saw him return to West Cork (in 2016) to head up what was then known as the Cork West Division.
The Caheragh native – who became a grandad for the first time in recent weeks – told The Southern Star that he never dreamed when he signed up to enter Templemore that he would end his career as head of the newly-created Cork County Division, which stretches incredibly from outside Ardmore in Co Waterford to Eyeries, on the border with Kerry.
‘I’ve had a great career in the force, but I’ve also worked with, and met, so many great people and I want to thank everyone for their help. I’ve always said that the police force is only as strong as the community it supports,’ said Con.
Con’s career path could have taken a decidedly different route, as he originally worked in Drinagh Co-op, following a diploma in food science at Waterford RTC. But Templemore beckoned in September of 1982, and he never looked back.
Con is married to Margaret and lives in Ballinhassig. They have two daughters – Aishling, who works as a senior register paediatrician at CUH, while Eimer received her doctorate in clinical psychology from UCC two weeks ago.
Con said he will miss the friendship and camaraderie of his garda colleagues, and also thanked the communities of both Cork West and Cork North, as well as the numerous agencies and stakeholders that he worked with throughout his time as a chief superintendent.
He did acknowledge that frontline policing is indeed challenging for new gardaí.
‘Since the start of the year, we’ve had in excess of 80 young members resign from the force nationally, while we had two leave here and it’s a worrying trend that will be a huge challenge for the Garda Commissioner.’
Con feels that the biggest challenge for the members on the ground is the prevalence of drugs, which has become a major problem in every town.
‘Drugs is a dirty, murky game, which is cash driven and it isn’t the poorer elements of society that actually drive the drugs trade,’ he said. ‘I believe that it’s the middle and upper classes that drive it, and if the demand wasn’t there, the dealers wouldn’t be supplying them. It also moves into the mental health aspect, too, and the frontline gardaí see this on a daily basis when they get called out to incidents.’
He also noted that drug-driving detections have now surpassed drink-driving detections, indicating the huge societal change in attitudes to drugs.
As reported previously, the cold case investigation into the death of Sophie Toscan du Plantier in Schull in 1996 is ‘very much live’ and Con said a considerable amount of work has gone into this full investigation.
‘There are 20 people involved, working away quietly out of Bantry Garda Station. They are already three months into it,’ he said. ‘I would be hopeful that they’ll bring about a successful conclusion to this.’
Con was also involved in the cold case investigation into the murder of Nora Sheehan, whose body was found dumped in Shippool near Innishannon in 1981.
‘When I took over in 2016, I looked for a cold case review into her murder and a team of 10 investigated it,’ he explained.
‘There were over 200 witnesses in that investigation and a man has been charged with her murder and will be going to trial on June 6th next year.’ The team involved in that cold case moved across to the Sophie case afterwards.
Con said the recent establishment of the DPSUs (Divisional Protective Services Unit) in both Dunmanway and Fermoy has been an important facility for victims of sex crimes in the region.
As the force marks its centenary this year, which saw commemorations in both Bandon and Kinsale earlier, Con is cautious about any plans to change the culture within An Garda Síochána.
‘We need to be careful about changing the culture, as we cannot afford to move away from the community-based culture. I hope we never lose that, as the solving of any crime is always out there in the community.’
Like many before him, Con will be joining the retired members’ association and he admitted he doesn’t intend to hang up his working boots just yet, as he is planning to take up a position in the private sector in the New Year.
A member of the Kinsale Lions and a supporter of the KYSS (Kinsale Youth Support Services ), he plans to continue his work with both, while also tackling a ‘few jobs around home’ that his wife Margaret has earmarked for him! His retirement will also give a chance to devote even more time to his beloved Munster Rugby – he lined out for many matches in his youth with both Highfield RC and Skibbereen RC.
In the meantime, he has grandad duties to carry out, following the birth of his grandson Blaise two weeks ago, to his daughter Aisling.
‘I also want to thank the media, including The Southern Star, who have been so helpful, but also not intrusive, especially when dealing with live investigations.’
Con’s replacement is, in fact, another West Cork man, Vincent O’Sullivan from Snave, who is already settling into his new role as Chief Supt of Cork County Division.
For now, Con has a retirement function to look forward to, as well as a spot of gardening, in between the bucket lists of jobs to do at home.
