Firework control zones return to Glasgow as police warn of 'real consequences'
Setting off fireworks inside the zones will be a criminal offence from 30 October to 9 November in Glasgow.
Fireworks over George Square, Glasgow. File photo. · Photograph: Johnny Durnan (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Police Scotland has warned that anyone involved in disorder over Halloween and Bonfire Night will face justice, as firework control zones return to Glasgow and Edinburgh.
From 30 October, it will be a criminal offence to set off a firework inside a zone or throw one into it. The zones run until 9 November in Glasgow and 8 November in Edinburgh. In Glasgow they cover Govanhill and Pollokshields, Broomhouse, Pollok and Glasgow Harbour.
The measures are part of Operation Moonbeam, now in its ninth year. Chief Superintendent David Robertson said police would use every resource available to identify anyone who puts the public or emergency services at risk.
Disorder fell last year, with fireworks-related emergency calls down by about 37%, and 24 people were charged. More than 60 officers were injured across Scotland in 2023.
A separate dispersal zone in Glasgow city centre has been extended to the end of the year, with more than 2,000 dispersal notices issued between March and September.
Community safety minister Kirsten Oswald said courts can now treat firework attacks on emergency workers as an aggravating factor when sentencing.