PERSONALLY, I always look forward to the month of February when the Six Nations starts.

January is over, along with the long wait for pay day, the evenings are ever so slightly longer and lighter and, most importantly, there is rugby on the TV.

On paper at least, this year’s Six Nations looks set to have a number of close games, with Scotland playing their home games against England and France, which is traditionally the draw they do well with. France at home and Ireland away will definitely present tough asks but that is one of the great joys of the Six Nations in that Scottish supporters can always hope for glory. My own personal prediction is three out of five wins for Scotland, with narrow defeats to France and Ireland.

One of the great things about the sport of rugby – and I admit I am biased towards rugby having played the game for 30 years – is that there is a position for anyone, no matter what their skill and physical stature. The forwards are traditionally bigger and bulkier and the backs are traditionally faster and more skilful, although sometimes, when you see some of the Fijian backs, this generalisation is tested.

One of the great things about a job in the police is that there is room for anyone, no matter what their physical stature or background, and I wanted to draw your attention to the fact that Police Scotland launched a new recruitment drive this week, particularly to attract new officers to policing in rural communities.

It is worth saying that the new campaign focuses particularly on recruitment for positions on the Western Isles, Caithness, Skye and Lochalsh, Aberdeenshire, Argyll and Bute and Dumfries and Galloway, but is open to all-comers. It runs until Monday, February 19, so if you live in East Lothian currently and fancy a job as a police officer, this is your chance. I will forgive you if you don’t want to work in East Lothian and fancy some of the other lovely areas mentioned above but, either way, please get in touch if you think policing is a career for you.

Equally, if you have a friend or family member who has the potential to become an outstanding police officer, please alert them to our recruitment drive or indeed, if you have wanted to join the police for a while but haven’t been able to for whatever reason, visit scotland.police.uk/sign-up

If you are thinking that being a police officer is a career you want to consider but are unsure and want to speak to someone about it, please contact any one of our local officers, including myself, and we would be happy to discuss the lifestyle and demands.

I frequently get contacted in this manner and my advice has always been to consider whether you enjoy working with people and helping them.

More and more of the demands of modern-day policing are about responding to diverse needs in communities and having a passion for helping people and making a difference, as well as investigating crime.