It definitely felt a bit more like autumn this weekend, although those of you who have followed the news last week will have seen that record average temperatures were recorded for September and we’ve seen some pretty high levels of rainfall round the county and indeed the country over the weekend.

Climate change will affect us all in some shape or form over our lives and it is important to do our bit.

For my policing teams, this means we are conscious of doing what we can to save energy in our buildings; however, the 24/7 demands of policing do mean that in some cases the lights literally never go off – certainly the radios never stop! The heating in my office in Musselburgh is definitely doing its bit for the planet by not turning on after the summer months.

The more observant among you will have noticed the odd electric police vehicle going about and this is something we hope to do more of as the range and technology improves; however, it is always a challenge to find time to charge a vehicle when the nature of policing is relentless.

I know it has been a busy period for my policing teams when we reach over 100 incidents in a day and those average totals are generally on the increase from what I have seen over the last six months since I arrived in East Lothian.

We are working hard with our partner agencies to respond to all of these calls and to provide the best service we can.

Having been out and about speaking to Longniddry residents at Coffee with a Cop last week, it was commented on that sometimes it is difficult to get through on 101 and waiting times can be longer than we’d like.

If the call is not urgent and you are able to, I would always advocate using the Contact Us portal of our website, which allows information to be left quickly without having to wait and we will always respond when we are able.

I want to pick up specifically in my column next time on the demands that Hallowe’en and Bonfire Night place upon the emergency services but in the lead-up,

I would ask that if you are planning on celebrating either of these events, please consider the impact on other people in your community, particularly if they have pets, as the noise and shock of unplanned fireworks can be distressing for both animals and people alike.

Please act responsibly and look out for others, including the emergency services, who will do all they can to help you, but equally please understand this is often a very challenging period for all blue light services and we can all do our bit by preventing unnecessary calls.