Two Cork officers to head up Garda associations

Two officers stationed in Cork have been elected as presidents of the largest Garda representative associations with a combined membership of 13,300.

Garda John Parker, who is based in Mallow, has become president of the Garda Representative Association (GRA), which represents 11,200 rank-and-file members of the force. And Anglesea Street-based Sergeant Willie Gleeson is president of the 2,100-strong Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI).

Garda Parker, a native of Killarney, Co Kerry, joined the force in 1989 and after a four-year spell in Garda stations in Dublin moved to Mallow. The following year he was co-opted onto the local GRA committee.

In 2006, he rose to become a member of the GRA’s national executive and in 2010 became its vice president. He was elected to the top job at the GRA’s annual conference in Athlone last week.

Sergeant Gleeson, from Terryglass, Co Tipperary, joined the force in 1982 and was first posted to Cobh. After a spell in MacCurtain Street Garda Station he was promoted to sergeant in 1992 and took up a posting in Castletownbere.

The following year he was back in Cork city, before taking up a UN posting in Croatia (1996/7).

Since 1999 he has served as sergeant-in-charge of the command and control centre at Anglesea Street.

Sergeant Gleeson joined the AGSI in 1999 and is the representative body’s longest serving member.

“As AGSI and the GRA work very closely together it will make thing logistically easier that both of their presidents serve in stations close to each other,” Sergeant Gleeson said.

Both he and Garda Parker said they would address a number of mutual concerns, such as the embargo on Garda recruitment. and the deteriorating state of garda vehicles.

“We have insufficient gardaí. We should have sufficient numbers out patrolling to prevent crime,” Garda Parker said.