From the editor-in-chief Hive of activity Halloween seems like a distant memory and November passed in a whirl of activity. I am proud to have been part of all the amazing efforts from the trading standards profession. No two days are the same, and I have particularly enjoyed getting to know so many of you at the branch meetings. A job isnt just a job. Its who you are and what you are passionate about. This rings especially true for our chief executive, Leon Livermore. At the end of October, Leon attended the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Select Committee on the Safety of Electrical Goods, along with representatives from Whirlpool, the National Fire Chiefs Council, Electrical Safety First, the Association of Manufacturers and Domestic Appliances, and Which?. There were some tough questions from the committee, and Leon reiterated that the current product recall and safety systems are not fit for purpose. Leon also joined a roundtable of ministers and consumer groups, which met to discuss the impact of Brexit. He addressed several areas of concern with the EU Withdrawal Bill, and queried how we can retain consumer protection networks that require reciprocal arrangements with EU member states. This followed on from CTSIs initial Brexit Think Tank (BTT) meeting, where the issue of reciprocity was also raised extensively. The next BTT meeting will take place early in 2018, when an interim report will be published on its findings. CTSIs annual tobacco survey showed that action against underage sales and illicit tobacco remains a high priority for trading standards. Despite difficulties with falling resources and competing pressures on their time, 96 per cent of councils that responded undertook some form of tobacco control activity in the past year. In November, I also attended and enjoyed the Product Safety and Legal Metrology seminar at BEIS and was in awe to be surrounded by the nations leading consumer experts. The seminars focused on a range of aspects, including product recalls, Primary Authority opportunities, and using science and technology in legal metrology and product safety. Weve just enjoyed another successful National Consumer Week, which was based around the theme of subscriptions. The campaign Not what you signed up for? advised consumers what to be aware of when signing up to a service, and their rights if they wish to cancel. We produced two animations for businesses involved in subscriptions: one for financial institutions, and one giving legal advice relating tosubscriptions. CTSI also attended a number of events in November to raise awareness of our business advice offering. This is part of a wider engagement plan to highlight the work of trading standards and explain how businesses can access advice. As people start to turn their thoughts towards giving gifts, our work with businesses and consumers continues. Many have been taking advantage of Black Friday and Cyber Monday to pick up a bargain with smart devices now increasingly popular in our homes. However, the recent National Trading Standards Consumer Harm report warned of the potential security issues of these connected devices in homes something we look at in our cover story. The report also showed that NTS has prevented nearly 127m in losses to consumers and businesses a pattern we see replicated in local authorities across the UK that have worked so hard to protect consumers throughout 2017. Once again, many thanks for your continuing commitment and for making me feel at home since my arrival. I look forward to meeting more of you and working with you in 2018, but for now, Iwish you all a happy and peaceful festive season. Thanks for reading.