WE NEAR the end of 2021 with the same uncertainties we faced at the end of 2020, so I wanted to highlight some of the support and assistance that is available.

Firstly, the police will always be available, 24 hours a day, every day including Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Whilst we as a service are also facing challenges brought through the pandemic, we will always be here to deal with any and all emergencies so do not hesitate to contact us.

The same goes for the other blue light responders, and for those who are working right through this period, I thank you all for your commitment and effort during these difficult times. For anyone seeking support, please visit clearyourhead.scot, which has lots of useful advice and information to help you and also take a look at East Lothian Council’s webpages, which have details of where and how you can access additional support.

This is also the end of my time here and last column as local area commander for the county and I wanted to reflect on some of the work that my officers and our partners have achieved in the near-three years I have been here.

In 2019, we began work on a new community policing model which was successfully implemented and continues to serve our communities. Later that same year, we started work on our Local Policing Plan 2020-2023 and begun our extensive programme to seek your views on policing in the county.

We had one of the highest returns across Scotland, which shows how passionate you are, and these responses formed our five priorities which we work to and report on every day. We introduced ‘mobility’, which was a project which gave every local officer access to a handheld computer device, similar to a smartphone but which had all the police IT systems within. This has saved officers a lot of time and means less time in a station and more time patrolling the streets, keeping people safe.

We introduced ‘CAM’, our contact assessment model, which created a risk-based approach to attending calls and means that we now offer appointments when it suits so that we fit in with the demands of your life and work.

We rolled out pop-up police stations across rural villages and provided free shed alarms to elderly and vulnerable residents.

We have focused on violence and protecting those most vulnerable, and across the reporting periods have seen a reduction in violent crime with fewer victims, and experienced a large drop in looked-after children reported missing.

We continue our collaborative approach to substance misuse and have built upon the successes of Operation Juneau to tackle the harm caused in our communities and supported many families and victims.

I am very proud of the work that my officers have done and of the outstanding collaborative practices that are ongoing across all agencies and services. The passion and commitment of people in East Lothian is second to none and I will miss working with each and every one of them.

Whilst there is still a lot of work to be done, I am confident that my successor, Chief Inspector Jocelyn O’Connor, will be able to continue and build upon the great work and continue to make East Lothian a safe place to live, work and visit.

I am honoured to have been given the opportunity to serve the people in the county and wish Jocelyn every success.