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At the opening of Guardians House by William Hague MP (centre) are (left to right) Stephen Lee, chair of the Benevolent Fund and member of
the Inspectors’ Branch Board, Joe Tildesley, Ernie Hanrahan and Gary Hyde, chair of the Credit Union. Gary was also a retired inspector and had
been the general secretary of the Federation’s Inspectors’ Central Committee. Joe took over his national role from 1997 until 2000 when he
returned as chair of West Midlands Police Federation.
Lord Hague, the then leader of the Federation in London. Fearless in his views, During my time with Ernie, it was
Conservative Party. He warmly thanked Ernie his courage lay in the fact that, unlike the wonderful to see that he found some
personally for his outstanding contribution rest of us, he felt no overpowering need to happiness with his second wife, Chris, who
to the whole of the project. be loved. That takes backbone and bottle. He worked in the Credit Union. There are few
Throughout this period and, indeed for was loaded with both. mysteries as complex as other people’s
the previous 10 years, the Federation had Sadly, because it was the police service’s marriages but should you require a textbook
been fighting to be issued with body armour. loss, Ernie was not successful in becoming definition of devotion look no further than
Indeed we were the only Metropolitan Police the general secretary of the national Mr and Mrs Hanrahan.
Force that has not been issued with a piece Federation. He lost out narrowly in a vote for Sadly, Chris was taken too early and it
of kit which today I am sure is taken for the top job but for many years he was a coincided with the beginning of Ernie’s final
granted. Assaults on average were running highly effective deputy general secretary. I battle with the illness to which he finally
at three a day and Ernie was adamant that think modern policing would look very succumbed. There is a sense of relief that his
the situation could no longer be tolerated. different today if Ernie had been able to put suffering has come to an end but he had
With that same single-minded his own very individual stamp on the top looked death in the face for many years and
determination and energy, he set about role. nobody could have been more valiant.
convincing the Force, and indeed the wider Yes, we argued on occasions; we had an For those of us who are linked to the
public, that attitudes must change and, after armed truce never to discuss my Police Federation, there is a genuine pang at
a lengthy campaign, personal body armour appearances on radio and TV but he was Ernie’s passing because with him goes the
was finally issued to every operational officer magnificently honest and even-handed. I strongest possible connection with so much
at the end of 2000. wanted to throttle him some days but I of our own histories. No surprise then that it
Such was his success in the West knew he was a man I wanted to have at my hurts a bit because part of our own past has
Midlands that Ernie was then elected to the shoulder in the trench, when the foe was died with him.
closing in on us across no man’s land.
He will be mourned but much more than

Joint Central Committee of the Police
“ more life, vigour, courage, individuality and
that he will be celebrated because he had
With a cigarette in one hand and a mobile phone
sheer natural talent than just about anyone
in the other, Ernie was determined to make the
I have ever met. If God is looking for
someone to represent him at his right hand
whole move a success. Kicking and screaming, he
turned a vision into reality. Without him there
Ernie Hanrahan.
side, then he has found the right man in
It was a life well led.
would be no Guardians House. Ernie joined the Force on 5 February
1979 and retired in June 2009.
www.polfed.org/westmids federation August/September 2020 27
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