A tribute to the late Ernie Hanrahan
It is with great sadness that we announce the recent death of Ernie Hanrahan, who passed away on 9 July.
Jo Tildesley, Benevolent Fund Trustee and former West Midlands Police Federation Chairman, pays tribute to Ernie below.
Everyone at West Midlands Police Benevolent Fund would like to send our deepest condolences to his family at this sad time.
Ernie Hanrahan – A few words
“It is a very great privilege to talk a little about the life and many achievements of Ernie Hanrahan. I appreciate for many of you currently serving his name might not even register but every operational officer owes him a debt of gratitude.
Ernie’s Police career began in the tough environment of Birmingham city centre in the eighties. He was a larger than life character, tough and tenacious, never frightened to express his opinion and his previous trade union involvement swiftly marked him out as a future Police Federation representative. Within a very short period he was the West Midlands Police Federation Secretary working from the then Headquarters in Garretts Green. He cared about people, would not tolerate bullying of any kind and every day he made a difference to the lives of those he represented.
I hope you will not mind me sharing a few personal recollections of him when he first burst over my horizon when I became the Chairman in April 2000. It had been a difficult period for the Federation and our relationship with the Force. There were just four full-time officers looking after over 8,000 officers and we were busy. Blimey were we busy. Ernie recognised our individual roles and over the next two years we forged a working relationship the like of which I had never experienced before or since. He was adamant that the whole organisation needed to move and singlehandedly set about convincing both the Benevolent Fund and the Credit Union to join us on the journey to Guardians House. With a cigarette in one hand and a mobile phone in the other Ernie set about making the whole move a success. Kicking and screaming he turned a vision into reality. Without him there would be no Guardians House. On the 16 November 2000 the move to the new premises was officially recognised by the opening ceremony being carried out by Lord Hague, the then leader of the Conservative Party. He warmly thanked Ernie personally for his outstanding contribution to the whole of the project. Throughout this period and indeed for the previous ten years the Federation had been fighting to be issued with body armour. Indeed we were the only metropolitan Police Force who had not been issued with a piece of kit which today I am sure is taken for granted. Assaults on average were running at three a day and Ernie was adamant that the situation could no longer be tolerated. With that same single minded determination and energy he set about convincing the Force and indeed the wider public, that attitudes must change and after a lengthy campaign, personal body armour was finally issued to every operational officer at the end of 2000. Yes we argued on occasions; we had an armed truce never to discuss my appearances on radio and TV but he was magnificently honest and even-handed. I wanted to throttle him some days, but I knew he was a man I wanted to have at my shoulder in the trench, when the foe was closing in on us across no mans land.
During my time with Ernie it was wonderful to see that he found some happiness with his second wife Chris, who worked in the Credit Union. There are few mysteries as complex as other people’s marriages but should you require a textbook definition of devotion look no further than Mr and Mrs Hanrahan. Sadly, Chris was taken too early and it coincided with the beginning of Ernies final battle with the illness to which he finally succumbed. There is a sense of relief that his suffering has come to an end but he had looked death in the face for many years and nobody could have been more valiant.
Such was his success in the West Midlands that Ernie was then elected to the Joint Central Committee of the Police Federation in London. Fearless in his views, his courage lay in the fact that unlike the rest of us he felt no overpowering need to be loved. That takes backbone and bottle. He was loaded with both. Sadly, because it was the Police Services loss, Ernie was not successful in becoming the General Secretary of the national Federation. He lost out narrowly in a vote for the top job but for many years was a highly effective Deputy General Secretary. I think modern Policing would look very different today if Ernie had been able to put his own very individual stamp on the top role.
For those of us who are linked to the Police Federation, there is a genuine pang at Ernies passing, because with him goes the strongest possible connection with so much of our own histories. No surprise then that it hurts a bit because part of our own past has died with him.
He will be mourned but much more than that he will be celebrated because he had more life, vigour, courage, individuality and sheer natural talent than just about anyone I have ever met. If God is looking for someone to represent him at his right hand side, then he has found the right man in Ernie Hanrahan.
It was a life well led. ”
Joe Tildesley
West Midlands Police Federation Chairman
2000 – 2002
