Partnership against rural crime
Farmers and land owners across East Lothian were invited to a free ‘walk and talk’ event looking at crime prevention and fire safety on farm organised by the newly formed East Lothian Partnership Against Rural Crime (ELPARC). The event was launched by Fergus Ewing MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy, and provided a key opportunity to discuss current rural crime and fire-related issues. The event also saw the launch of Rural Watch, a free service which alerts users to local issues and criminal activity. 
Chair of the Partnership is East Lothian Council Protective Services Manager, Derek Oliver, who commented: “ELPARC is concerned with the occurrence and fear of all crime affecting our rural communities. This includes wildlife, heritage, environmental, livestock and other crimes including anti-social behaviour which impact on the quality of life in rural areas and the rural economy. ELPARC is committed to improving the response to those challenges.
“Farmers were invited to come along to this event to see for themselves cost-effective and simple measures they can adopt which could prevent criminal activity on their property.”
NFU Scotland’s Regional Chairman for the Lothians and Borders, Kelvin Pate, commented: “Rural communities are being targeted more and we need to take measures to guard ourselves against both opportunistic and organised gangs. It is not just the initial loss and anguish suffered but the longer-term inconvenience and increased insurance premiums as a result.
“Fire can cause a significant amount of damage, and again we are noticing an increase in farm fires in this area. We need to take the relevant precautions to ensure farms are protected from fires where possible and work with the Scottish Fire and Rescue service to reduce the possibilities of this happening.
“The event focused on these two issues, as well as wildlife crimes such as hare coursing, and was be a great opportunity for farmers to speak to the organisations involved and get advice.”
The ELPARC consists of the following organisations: East Lothian Council, Police Scotland, SFRS, NFUS, SEPA, SSPCA, RSPB, Neighbourhood Watch Scotland and Marine Scotland.
Public Protection Training
East Lothian and Midlothian Public Protection have a wide range of training available in Child Protection, Adult Protection, Domestic Abuse / Violence Against Women and Girls, Drug and Alcohol Misuse and many other courses and workshops that cut across Public Protection. 
Training can be accessed either by attending courses, workshops or online
If you have any questions in relation to Public Protection training then please contact emppo@eastlothian.gov.uk
The 2019 Training Calendar is available online.
Safety Advisory Group supporting events in East Lothian
East Lothian Council works very closely with event organisers and the emergency services to provide a common and standardised approach to safety at events. Anyone planning an event in East Lothian is required to send an event notification form to the council. This form can be found on the council website
Once received the form is circulated to various council departments and to the Police, Fire and Ambulance services. A decision is then made as to whether the event organiser will be invited to attend a meeting with the Safety Advisory Group (SAG).
The Safety Advisory Group normally meets on the last Wednesday of each month and up to eight events can be processed at each meeting. In 2018 over 70 events in East Lothian were managed through the SAG process. The types of event that were invited to attend a SAG meeting ranged from Scotland’s National Airshow and the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open golf competition to gala days and cycling events.
Kevin Sewell, Event Safety and Resilience Officer, said: “The purpose of these meetings is to work with event organisers to identify and improve safety arrangements for everyone attending their events. Organisers of events are responsible for the safety of all participants and spectators attending and consideration should also be given to members of the public who may be indirectly affected by an event.
“It is therefore reassuring for organisers when they can sit in the same room with the relevant council services and agencies to discuss their event plans. All event organisers are required to provide an event planning document which details matters such as dates & times, parade routes, stewards, medical provision, insurance cover and risk assessments. The members of the SAG team work with all event organisers to ensure that their event plans are robust and well documented.”
Do you know anyone who is planning an event in East Lothian? If so, please let them know about the SAG process and ask them to get in touch with Kevin in Protective Services on 01620 827629.
Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open and Ladies Scottish Open 2019
This year the ASI Scottish Open and the ASI Ladies Scottish Open will be held at new venue – the Renaissance Club at Dirleton on 10-14 July and 11-15 August respectively.
This will be the first year that The Renaissance Club has hosted an event of this scale. In preparation, several planning meetings between organisers and the Safety Advisory Group have already taken place.
To help minimise disruption, communications have been initiated with residents living within the Archerfield Estate and businesses operating within that area.
The wider traffic management arrangements will be similar to last year when both events were held at Gullane Golf Club, with speed restrictions being implemented between Dirleton and Gullane. Spectators arriving by car will park on the fields adjacent to Muirfield Golf Club and then walk directly through the Archerfield Estate to The Renaissance Club. Scheduled bus services will be able to drop off and uplift spectators at the main car park at the Muirfield site. Private buses will also provide a shuttle service from the railway stations at North Berwick and Drem for the Scottish Open.
Look out for further details of these major events in future issues of Inform.