Frederick John Hanson, CBE, QPM (26 May 1914 – 26 October 1980) was the Commissioner of the New South Wales Police Force from 1972 to 1976.
[1] Hanson was born in Orange, New South Wales, on 26 May 1914 and was educated at Christian Brothers College, Burwood.
[1][2] Hanson was promoted to commissioner on 15 November 1972, having been recommended for the role by his predecessor, Norman Allan, whose term had been tarnished by corruption allegations.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation settled a defamation action in 1976 after alleging the previous year that he held a financial interest in a gambling club; however, after his death in 1980 freed media to report without facing Australia's strict defamation laws, he faced repeated allegations of corruption, including having received money from illegal gambling interests and personal ties to various criminal figures.
[2][11] Bob Bottom would later allege that his campaign had been motivated by anger at the decision of Premier Neville Wran to order the closure of illegal casinos.