AS SCHOOL pupils across East Lothian begin their summer break and families begin to depart on what will likely be the first holiday for many in a long time, the focus of policing remains on doing everything possible to keep our communities safe.

This requires us to continually adapt in order to meet the changing demands throughout the year and further into the future.

As you may have observed from local and national media in recent weeks, the demand on public services remains high and policing is no exception. As such, local policing requires the ability to balance the demands placed on us and the available resources to meet the needs of those we serve.

We therefore need to prioritise the incidents reported to us and aim to attend the most urgent without delay. Those requiring a longer-term solution or specialist response are managed by officers who often work with partner agencies to resolve such issues.

In order to ensure we are focussing on the problems that matter most to our communities, it is vital that you tell us. To do this, we have the national Your Police survey, which has been running since 2019. This annual survey is a way for Police Scotland to continually listen to our communities and respond to local needs.

In East Lothian, police officers engage with our communities every day, either while attending ongoing incidents or as part of pre-planned work and events. This assists in our understanding of what people living in the county are telling us and informs how we improve the safety and wellbeing of everyone.

The East Lothian Community Policing Team are responsible for reporting to the community councils across the county and the local community and police partnerships (CAPP), where they identify local priorities alongside elected representatives, other community groups and relevant departments from East Lothian Council.

Some of this work was curtailed during lockdown; however, as part of my role within community policing, there is a push to have this fully reinstated so there is not only a clear understanding of what our communities need and want from the police, but also a way for us to provide feedback on the good work that is done and often overlooked.

The survey can be accessed via the Police Scotland website or at consult.scotland.police.uk/strat egy-insight-and-innovation/your-police-2022-2023

Young Scot members also receive 150 Young Scot Reward Points for taking part. A code is shared once you submit your survey response that can be entered on your Young Scot Membership account at young.scot/membership

I would encourage everyone to take the opportunity to complete the survey and help us deliver the best service possible to East Lothian.