New Superintendent and Chief Inspector take lead in city command

A new Superintendent and Chief Inspector have started work to continue tackling community priorities in Stoke-on-Trent.

Superintendent Dave Wain has been appointed as city command lead and brings 27 years’ experience to his new role. He will oversee local policing, including response, neighbourhood and specialist teams across Stoke-on-Trent.

Supt Wain will take over from Superintendent Mark Ward, who has moved to County Command and will work with specialist policing teams outside Stoke-on-Trent.

(Supt David Wain)

Chief Inspector Laura Davies, joins as the new Commander following a two-year tenure in the Cannock local policing team, bringing with her more than two decades of experience in neighbourhood policing.

She has taken over from the previous Chief Inspector Scott McGrath, who has taken up a role in the Central Motorway Police Group (CMPG).

Most notably, Chief Inspector Davies currently leads on anti-social behaviour for the force and was presented with the ASB Pledge status by the charity ASB Help, for the work we’ve been doing with partners to address ASB concerns across Staffordshire.

(Ch Insp Davies)

She said, “I’m really excited by this opportunity and I’m keen to get to work as quickly as possible to understand the needs of our communities, what they want to see from us and how we can meet their needs as effectively as possible.”

“Aside from more than 20-years’ experience in policing, I’ve been in the same position at another policing team in Staffordshire over the last two-years. I’ve learned lots about how we can better engage with communities, how we can address concerns and the type of issues that people want us to prioritise locally.”

“The foundations left here by the previous commander, Scott, are really strong, and I’m determined to continue working with the many outstanding officers we have in the city to deliver the best possible service to our communities.”

Supt Wain has led on our investigative quality work and has been integral to the implementation of improvements in investigative quality for the force.

For the majority of his service, he has worked within investigations, but also has recent experience working as the Commander in South Staffordshire. 

Superintendent Wain, said: “Firstly, I’m looking forward to the new challenge and I want to build on Supt Ward’s and the local team’s excellent work, so that we continue to provide the very best service possible to residents of Stoke-on-Trent.

“It’s clear how hard Mark and local officers have been working to tackle the issues that matter most to local communities, and that’s something I’m determined to continue. This can only be done by working in close collaboration with partners and being as proactive as we can.”

“I want to assure the communities of Stoke-on-Trent, that under my leadership your local policing teams will remain committed to protecting people whilst proactively seeking out those who intend to cause harm to our communities. We will look to achieve this through preventative policing and by maintaining excellent standards of investigation to bring offenders to justice.”

To find out more about policing in your area, visit: Your area | Staffordshire Police