New Lancashire Police Divisional Commander says he is ‘immensely proud to cover East Lancashire’

East Lancashire’s new Divisional Commander has spoken about his passion for delivering the best possible police service in the area he was born and raised.

Chief Supt Steve Rides took over as Divisional Commander for East Division last month after Mark Winstanley left the role to become an Assistant Chief Constable.

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Mr Rides joined Greater Manchester Police in 1998, before transferring to Lancashire Constabulary in 2007 and has since worked in all districts of East Lancashire in a number of roles.

He started as a Response Sergeant in Colne, before working in Neighbourhood Policing as a Sergeant and then Inspector at Nelson, Burnley, Rossendale, and Hyndburn.

He was promoted to Chief Inspector in 2021, working as the Response Chief Inspector at Blackburn with Darwen and Hyndburn before leading on the Targeted Operating Model for Response and Tactical Operations in 2022.

In December 2022 he was promoted to the rank of Superintendent and posted to South Division where took up the role of Operations Manager at Preston, prior to him returning to East Division as Divisional Commander.

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Speaking about his new role, Mr Rides said: “I am immensely proud to be the Divisional Commander for the area in which I was born, raised and still live in.

“I have worked in all parts of East Lancashire during my time as a sergeant, inspector and chief inspector so I have a real understanding of the different areas and what makes them unique as places to live, work and police.

“I am passionate about delivering the best possible service we can for the people of East Lancashire and in order to reduce crime and keep everyone safe, particularly the most vulnerable. 

“In order to do that we must work with our partners and maintain our culture of striving for continuous improvement.”

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