Police escort fire crews as Bonfire Night disorder prompts fresh crackdown

Police join fire service callouts

Under Operation Amberlight, officers will be based at fire stations in certain areas and travel with firefighters to some incidents. Supt Ross Aitken said the aim was to support fire service colleagues and provide an effective response to incidents.

Past attacks and control zones

The worst violence in the previous operation took place in Edinburgh’s Niddrie area, where groups of young people attacked officers with fireworks, petrol bombs and other missiles. Firefighters also face risks while attending incidents.

Fireworks Control Zones, which prohibit pyrotechnics in designated areas, have been introduced in known trouble spots since 2024. They began in Edinburgh and were extended to Glasgow the following year. SFRS Commander Mark Cleland said incident figures showed the zones had been beneficial.

Calls, displays and wider concerns

Many council-run displays have ended in recent decades amid costs that include insurance, security and stewarding, although clubs and private venues continue to hold events. In Bonnyrigg, Midlothian, fireworks were reportedly thrown in the high street; police also seized 350kg of fireworks, valued at about £12,000, from a Glasgow address in Penilee.

Emergency services recommend organised displays as a safe way to enjoy fireworks. Animal welfare groups warn that fireworks can distress pets, livestock and wildlife; a red panda called Roxie is believed to have died from fireworks-related stress in Edinburgh two years ago.