Communities are always changing and in the case of East Lothian they are changing in front of our eyes as the population continues to expand in size with new housing, schools, amenities and indeed whole new towns appearing where once there were just fields.

Communities have been changing and expanding away from traditional town centres for some time as increased mobility allows us all to connect with communities that are not restricted geographically to where we live but are also where we work or spend our leisure time. Whatever your view of community, the last few years have been exceptional in terms of the changes to our communities with the impact of the pandemic changing the way people communicate and socialise particularly in online communities that now exist.

What hasn’t changed however is the feeling that being part of a community is vitally important to wellbeing for us all and being isolated from friends and family or not being part of any wider community can have a significant negative impact on people’s mental health.

As Police officers we recognise the importance of serving and working in our communities and the opportunities that can bring in terms of establishing positive connections with different groups of people and getting to know what they are concerned about. We also recognise that the traditional communities around our Police Stations have changed and moved elsewhere and we need to adapt to this in making ourselves more available in different places which is why over the next few months we will be seeking to promote local opportunities to meet our Community officers in community spaces and other public places around the county.

Dates, times and venues will be posted through our social media pages but initially I’d like to highlight three such occasions which will be taking place in the Prestonpans, Longniddry and Port Seton communities entitled “Coffee with a Cop”. During this time residents of the Prestonpans, Port Seton/Cockenzie and Longniddry areas can come speak to their local Community Police Officer PC Dermott Maughan with any concerns or information about things going on in the area. There will also be a chance for residents of the area to surrender anything they may wish to hand to Police for destruction. Here is a picture of Dermott with his coffee at Port Seton Community Centre so if you would like to host such a session with Dermott or with one of our other Community officers please get in touch.

Dates and times

Wednesday October 11, 10am-1pm hours, Prestonpans Community Centre