MEMBERS of Prestonpans Community Council have called on Police Scotland to convert the town’s police station into social housing in the event of its permanent closure.

Police Scotland has launched a public consultation on closing three East Lothian police stations – in Prestonpans, North Berwick, and Dunbar – and relocating officers to existing larger stations.

At a meeting last Tuesday evening, numerous members of the community council called for the station to be returned to pubic ownership. 

READ MORE: Dunbar, North Berwick and Prestonpans police stations could close

Ferhan Ashiq, community councillor, said: "It is barely used and it may as well be closed. 

"I have had many meetings in that police station, one officer has let me in, we have had our meeting and we have both left together.  

"I genuinely believe there are cars there just to show a presence." 

DJ Johnston-Smith, chairperson of the community council, said: "I do believe it was built as a council house and I would like it to be returned to social housing." 

While one member of the community council joked: "I didn't know it was still open!

"No one is up in arms about this at all because barely anyone knew it was still open anyway.

"But converting it to social housing makes sense." 

Although not formally closed, Prestonpans police station, off the town’s New Street, has not been used by officers since the start of last year, said Chief Inspector Ben Leathes, Police Scotland’s East Lothian area commander. Since then, local officers have been working from Tranent.

He stressed that police were committed  to “continuing to provide a service to East Lothian”.

If the closures went ahead, he said that there would be no change to the delivery of policing services in the county and no changes to local policing teams.

Advances in technology meant, Ch Insp Leathes added, that officers were now "fully mobile" and that the police service was "not defined by our buildings". 

He said: “We’ve been reviewing the buildings we have across Lothian and Borders Division and how we use them.

"We considered where we would want to locate our people to be as effective and efficient as possible. This work has allowed us to identify buildings which we believe are no longer required."

The consultation can be found at consult.scotland.police.uk/strategy-insight-and-innovation/involving-you-in-the-future-of-our-estate