OVER the last few months, we have seen anti-social behaviour in Musselburgh and other parts of the constituency.

I have been contacted by many concerned residents around a range of incidents including groups of youths gathering, theft, vandalism and intimidation.

During the days around Halloween and Guy Fawkes Night, there were worrying reports of youths setting off fireworks on the High Street of Musselburgh, with police in attendance.

I appreciate local police are working closely with residents and the council on these issues, and on Friday I held a coffee afternoon in the hope of bringing the community together and making a helpful contribution to ongoing efforts.

I am very grateful to the residents who attended and shared their experiences, and to PC Lee Wilson and Kenneth Black, the community protection manager, who attended to listen to the residents' concerns and bring us all up to date with the work being done.

I was reassured to hear from Kenneth about the installation of mobile camera units in known trouble spots and to hear how all agencies are working together closely on this issue.

My team and I have a number of actions to take away from the afternoon and will continue to work constructively with police and other stakeholders.

Although the subject matter is distressing, it was nice to chat with residents and have a constructive debate on how we work together to solve the issues facing our local area.

I will be holding another drop-in coffee event in Craigmillar with residents who are concerned about the disorder seen on Fireworks Night, as well general anti-social behaviour issues in the area.

If you have any other ideas on a local issue or even a national one for an informal coffee afternoon discussion, please get in touch.