Richards joined
Warwickshire Police in 1982, where he was stationed across a range of geographical areas in numerous roles. His command positions included District Commander at
Nuneaton, Head of Communications,
Performance Review Manager, and a short period as Head of
CID. He also served for two years in National Police Training as Head of Recruit Training Centre at
Ryton-on-Dunsmore. After obtaining his Criminology degree, Richards was promoted to Assistant Chief Constable at
Avon and Somerset Constabulary in 1998. He was promoted to Deputy Chief Constable in 2002. Richards was appointed Chief Constable of the Wiltshire Police in September 2004. While he was Chief Constable, he oversaw "Optimus", a 12-month programme of modernisation and reform within the Force, as well as a collaborative project involving all five forces within the
South West region. Richards was the Chair of the National Training Managers Group. When the minimum national qualification was introduced in January 2010 by the
National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA), he oversaw the national implementation of the
Initial Police Learning and Development Programme (IPLDP), a compulsory diploma to be obtained by all new recruits. Richards also represented
Association of Chief Police Officers on the
Police Dependants' Trust. Richards is now the Independent Chair of Chichester Diocese Safeguarding Panel. He is also a non-executive director with Sussex NHS partnership Mental Health. ==Personal life==