Frank Bischof

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Francis Erich Bischof, known as Frank Bischof, was the Queensland Police Commissioner from January 1958 until his resignation on 13 February 1969 amid corruption allegations.

Born on 12 October 1904 in Gowrie Junction, Queensland, he was the fourth of nine children and grew up on a dairy farm. He left school to work in a cheese factory and joined the Queensland Police Force in 1925. He married Dorothy Gledhill in 1930. Bischof served in the Criminal Investigation Branch in Brisbane, was promoted to sergeant in 1939 and inspector in 1949, and studied in Britain and Europe before returning to Australia in 1950 to help investigate the Bulimba elections fraud. In 1955 he became head of the CIB.

In January 1958, Premier Frank Nicklin appointed him Commissioner of Police. The appointment was criticized by opponents who saw it as political. As commissioner, Bischof worked to boost morale and the police’s public image, reorganized staff, and set up a Public Relations Bureau. He often attended public events to gain support for the police and was named Queensland’s first “Father of the Year” in 1959, despite not having children.

Bischof was known to be a heavy gambler, and his tenure was marred by allegations of corruption and improper conduct. A Royal Commission into police conduct in 1963–1964 examined claims about police protection of a hotel-based call-girl service; it did not find the service operated but criticized weak licensing enforcement and questioned relationships between hotel management and police. The commission’s findings led to ongoing concerns about the force. In 1969, during the run-up to his retirement, Bischof took medical leave and then resigned. He faced a stealing charge in 1974, but the Crown did not prosecute.

He died on 28 August 1979 in South Brisbane, survived by his wife. There have been later sensational claims about his conduct, including allegations reported by journalist Matthew Condon, but these allegations are controversial and disputed.