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.