PLANNING is well under way now for COP26, which is only weeks away.

It is the climate change Conference of the Parties and will be held over two weeks, October 31 to November 12. The planning and preparation for this event has been a significant undertaking for Police Scotland. We expect there will be some disruption and not just for the people of Glasgow.

About 10,000 police officers will be deployed each day to ensure the safety of everyone involved.

These officers will be drafted from across Scotland, including East Lothian, and many will be deployed in specialist functions.

We are also getting support from other police forces from across the UK in mutual aid.

Whilst this operation is under way, we are committed to ensuring that the communities of East Lothian continue to receive the same standard of service. We have a dedicated team who will deliver on local priorities and keep East Lothian safe.

There is an expectation that protest activity will accompany the event and are working with a variety of partners to prevent and reduce disruption. We have a duty under the European Convention on Human Rights to protect the rights of people who wish to protest, be that here in East Lothian or anywhere in Scotland.

However, these protests will be balanced against the rights of the wider communities. In the lead-up to this conference, review your journeys and ensure that if you are travelling further afield you keep track of what’s happening.

This week, we had some reports of school children in Musselburgh fighting children from other schools in Edinburgh. As is always the case nowadays, some of this violence was filmed and uploaded onto social media. Violence and threats of violence will never be tolerated and the actions of a few have had a significant effect on the rest of the school.

Threats and intimidation are completely unacceptable and we will always take a robust approach. My officers and I have had regular contact with the staff at the school and we have increased the patrols at key times.

The school police officer, PC Kevin Hughes, will be at the school each day and can be approached for advice or assistance.

Our aim is to keep the school a safe place for everyone and I will not allow the actions of the few to affect the education and wellbeing of everyone else. I urge anyone with information or concerns to speak to a teacher or to PC Hughes direct and we will assist in whatever way we can.

My officers are working closely with officers in Edinburgh and a number of children and young adults have been identified and will shortly be getting charged with a variety of offences. This is not something we take lightly but will continue this approach for as long as is needed.

In the last few days, we have seen a few break-ins to houses in Dunbar where expensive vehicles have been stolen using the keys taken from the house.

I urge you all to review your home security and ensure all doors are locked and secure. It is also worthwhile keeping keys and other expensive valuables out of plain sight and not easily found.

If you see people or vehicles that look suspicious, let us know by contacting us on 101.