Supt Francis (Frank) Oliver Hanlon, who died on August 20th, aged 64, spent over 30 years in the Garda Siochana. He served as head of the old Fraud Squad and as the force's press officer.
When he was appointed Garda public relations officer in June, 1985, he put at the top of his agenda a radical improvement in the fraught relations between the Garda Siochana and the media.
Under regulations dating from the formation of the force, gardai were forbidden to communicate with journalists. The rules were gradually relaxed, but the culture of suspicion had become so ingrained that even members permitted to speak on behalf of the Garda Commissioner did so reluctantly.
In the 1960s when it was first proposed to appoint a Garda public relations officer, the Commissioner of the day insisted that the reputation of the Garda Siochana depended on the efficiency and deportment of every member of the force.
In the new age of formalised press relations, Hanlon's predecessors in many ways had the difficult job of breaking new ground, and were sometimes criticised for their circumspection. The need, it is said, createth the man, and Supt Hanlon proved to be well qualified to complete the task of breaking old moulds. Born in Drogheda in 1935, the eldest in a family of ten children, he joined the Garda Siochana in 1956. Passing out from the old Phoenix Park Depot, he was posted to the former Dublin Metropolitan Division, and following a period in uniform was appointed to the Central Detective Unit based in Dublin Castle. Wholly committed to his crime investigation duties, he also took an active interest in social welfare in the force.
Elected as a member of the representative body for gardai and later, the representative body for inspectors and sergeants, he took a leading part in the reform of the Garda Medical Aid Society, and became a founder member of the Garda Credit Union.
A lifelong soccer enthusiast, he was a loyal supporter of his local Drogheda United.
He joined the Fraud Squad in 1963 and rose through the ranks to head the unit as an inspector. He assumed his new responsibilities at a time of an unprecedented rise in white-collar crime.
With a reputation for tenacity in his inquiries, his investigation of cases of complex fraud brought him into contact with company managers and chief executives in industry and commerce. They all greatly respected the highly intelligent, confident and articulate policeman.
At a time when armed crime posed a growing threat to the economic life of the nation, he made a valuable input into a scheme for the protection of cash in transit. Liaison duties brought him into contact with Army personnel, post office and bank officials, and the private security industry.
He was sent to St Cloud in Paris in 1981 to take part in the first course in computer fraud under the auspices of Interpol, and was a member of a working party on the computerisation of antiquated Garda administrative procedures.
On his promotion to superintendent in 1984 he was appointed district officer of Carlow. A year later, recalled to Garda Headquarters to take over the duties of public relations officer, he had to deal with the Air India disaster in June 1985. His empathy with the relatives of the victims, and his compassionate response to their grief were widely acknowledged.
He came into his own in interviews on radio and television, displaying a natural talent. His work during the difficult investigation of the Jennifer Guinness kidnapping attracted international attention. He received many letters of congratulation from opposite numbers abroad. Video recordings of his press conferences made their way into police training programmes across the world.
On his retirement in 1987, he found ready employment in the public relations and security industries. He died at home in Drogheda following a long illness borne with cheerful resignation.
He is survived by his wife, Marie, his sons, Matthew, Seamus, Frankie and Fergus, and his daughter, Patricia.
Frank Hanlon: born 1935; died August, 1999