IN RECENT weeks, you may have read about the spate of anti-social behaviour in my ward (Preston Seton Gosford) or if you live in my ward, you probably have witnessed it.

We have had incidents reported of people acting aggressively, of objects being thrown at buses, and of drug taking in public spaces.

This is not the actions of just locals, though; young people from across East Lothian have been heading to Cockenzie and Port Seton to hang out.

Anti-social behaviour is completely unacceptable. It can disrupt and even destroy the quality of life of individuals and can damage communities as a whole.

The victims’ lives can be very negatively impacted, with some people frightened to leave their home and some even feeling unsafe when in their homes.

Not being able to simply walk to the shops or out to the car has a serious impact on quality of life.

Parents might not want to let their children walk to school or play outside in the garden, street or community park by themselves.

And if it is young people engaging in anti-social behaviour, they may well be putting their own lives at risk.

Anti-social behaviour can also lead to the degradation and neglect of areas.

The spirit and pride of communities can be damaged, and people made to feel neglected and powerless.

Luckily, the communities in my ward are very strong and resilient and determined to overcome these problems.

We have been lucky in my ward in the response to this problem by the council’s anti-social behaviour team and the police.

They are working hard every day to tackle these issues and working constructively together.

My thanks go to the whole anti-social behaviour team, the community wardens, the local police officers in the community and Chief Inspector Neil Mitchell.

They have undertaken a number of important interventions to tackle anti-social behaviour head on, including having more police patrols at identified hotspots; deploying the council’s mobile CCTV; having the police make home visits to the homes of the youths involved; engaging with affected businesses to give them support; and engaging with all young people.

If you are affected at all by anti-social behaviour, do not suffer in silence.

Contact the council (all the details are online), contact the police or, if you do not want to speak directly with either of them, get in touch with your local councillor.

Your feedback on the problems in your area will help us to pinpoint the anti-social behaviour issues in communities, which means we can better deploy resources to take it on and beat it.