A FORMER police chief has warned plans to move Haddington Police Station into the former court building in the town could come back to haunt the force.

Colin Brown, who was local area commander in East Lothian during the first years of the newly-formed Police Scotland central force, revealed he had been approached about the possibility of a move into the offices while he was in charge – before the court had even closed.

And he said he had rejected the proposal, recommending to his bosses at Police Scotland that it was turned down.

Former Chief Inspector Brown raised concerns about the plans on social media after the Courier revealed that East Lothian Council was in negotiations with Police Scotland over moving them from their current police station, which has been open since the mid-1950s, 300ft along Court Street into the vacant court offices.

He said: “They came to me with this proposal when I was local commander and I recommended we turn down the proposal.

“Mark my words, when you lose your own premises and co-locate, it is for financial reasons and the outcome, on occasions, returns to haunt the police.”

“I only hope these moves that are proposed work out for the dynamics of the police work practices and offer an improved service to the public.”

East Lothian Council took ownership of the court building in January last year, after the Scottish Government moved all court services to Edinburgh.

Mr Brown’s revelations suggest negotiations over the building were being held long before the court service moved out and while local politicians and groups were campaigning to keep the service in the county.

The council proposes renting the first floor of the building to Police Scotland in a move which would involve investing up to £1.4 million in upgrading the building.

It would mean they would share the building with other council agencies and workers including the community warned service and anti-social behaviour team.

The proposals have been approved in principal by councillors and a business plan is now being drawn up to be presented to the Scottish Police Authority’s financial bosses.

Current chief inspector Matt Paden said the proposals still needed to go out to public consultation before a final decision was made.

He said: “Police Scotland is currently assessing its estate around the country to ensure that our buildings support modern operational policing and are fit for purpose.

“Any potential move from Haddington Police Station will have no impact on the level of local policing we provide in the area; in fact, the proposals being explored in East Lothian seek to improve further the service we provide to the public and our partnership with the council. We will continue to be an accessible and engaging presence within the community and a front counter service will be maintained at any new facility.”

“No decisions have yet been made and we are consulting with key stakeholders and the public via community forums to ensure their feedback informs the process."