LANCASHIRE Chief Constable Paul Stephenson, 50, admits he was a teenage rebel. But now, after 18 months at the helm, he told Crime Reporter IAN SINGLETON of his determination to make cracking the problem of juvenile nuisance one of the force's top priorities. . .

PAUL Stephenson wants Lancashire police to 'be the best'.

In an era when many mottoes are more about marketing than what they purport, it is easy to dismiss t his aspirational mantra as a gimmick.

But spend a short time in Mr Stephenson's company and you find it is a personal philosophy inherited from his father that helped him reach the top of his profession.

In his early life this driven edge was becoming apparent - even when it involved rebelling.

He was brought up in the Rossendale Valley, where he still lives. His father, who held unfulfilled ambitions to be a policeman, worked in the family butchering business.

"My dad, God rest his soul, was a strong, upright, proud man with really strong values," Mr Stephenson said. "He taught me to stick up for myself but remember the underdogs and always said: Whatever you do, do with pride and be the best."

The young Paul Stephenson excelled at Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School, becoming head boy. But he quit school while studying for A-levels after his head was turned by the youth culture rebellion of the late 1960s.

After being a self-confessed teenage rebel, it's ironic one of his key aims for the force is to stamp out anti-social behaviour by youths.

Last year saw a reduction in burglary of six per cent in Lancashire, with half as many burglaries today as there were in 1995 and vehicle crime was down 14 per cent.

But juvenile nuisance is still perceived as public enemy No 1 and Mr Stephenson explained: "If we properly address anti-social behaviour it will do something for people's lives.

"It's difficult to feel great about the fact that you are less likely to be burgled, if you don't feel safe when you leave your house and are challenged by an unruly youth.

"I was a classic, difficult teenage male. I suspect I put my parents through hell and back. I was doing A-levels and made a mess of those and didn't work. I guess when I was rebelling there didn't seem to be any point rebelling unless you were the best rebellious teenager."

A couple of years later and still rebelling, Mr Stephenson quit swimming in the run-up to the 1972 Munich Olympics, in which, as a Great Britain competitor, he could have taken part.

He said: "When I was doing sport there was not point unless you aspired to be the best. But swimming became a job and I had stopped enjoying it. I disappointed everybody - family, friends, the whole lot - by messing up education and dropping out of sport." It took a little while for Mr Stephenson to find his feet in his working life.

He became a trainee manager at a Rossendale shoe factory after marrying Lynda aged 20, but was disillusioned by what he saw as limited opportunities. His father-in-law, who ran a rival shoe company, offered him work. Although they got on well, Mr Stephenson thought it would never work and declined. At 22 he left the world of insoles, heels and laces and joined the police force.

His first posting was in Bacup as a patrol officer in 1975. "It wasn't an ambition to be a policeman for the rest of my life," he said. "It seemed a worthwhile job - something I would get real satisfaction out of. Also, it was something I could make a career out of."

In his early days the rebel in him found the discipline in the force quite difficult. He explained: "It was semi-militaristic. I can't say I took to it with ease, but it wasn't really me.

"I believed the force was about right for its time but probably needed to change. I think we have higher standards now."

By 1981 he had been a police constable for six years. During a party in a pub to celebrate several colleagues being promoted to sergeant, he suddenly felt he was not realising his potential. He said: "It seemed as the evening wore on that almost every person in the room, the world and their dog, had taken their police exams and passed.

"I got myself into a mind-fix by the end of the evening that I am the only person here who is not pulling their finger out and doing something."

Mr Stephenson went into overdrive. He arrived home at the end of the evening and studied law into the early hours, promising himself that he would take the sergeants' exams in a year and pass first time.

Not only did he achieve those pledges, but also his marks were in the top five in the country, marking him out as a contender for fast-track promotion. Soon afterwards he was a chief inspector and by 1987 aged 33 was the youngest superintendent in the country.

He became Lancashire Chief Constable in July 2002 - after failing three other interviews for the role in other counties. Mr Stephenson said: "There are bigger and better people than me who have been rejected, but that is not much consolation.

After achieving his dream and spending 18 months as Lancashire's top cop, Mr Stephenson is loving it: "What better turn-on is there than coming to work for an organisation like this where you can make a difference to people's lives?" he asks.