Fireworks calls rise to 1,024 as Police Scotland's biggest operation since Trump visit ends
Operation Amberlight covered Bonfire Night, Celtic's Europa League match against Besiktas and a possible protest in Glasgow. Fewer incidents needed a specialist public order response.
A Police Scotland public order van. Operation Amberlight was the force's biggest deployment since the 2025 visit of President Trump. · Photograph: Douglas Sinclair (CC BY 2.0)
Police Scotland's largest operation since the 2025 visit of US President Donald Trump has come to an end.
Operation Amberlight saw specialist officers support local policing teams across the country in responding to Bonfire Night disorder, while also policing Celtic's Europa League match against Besiktas and a potential protest in the east end of Glasgow.
More calls, fewer serious incidents
In total, police received 1,024 fireworks-related calls between October 31 and November 5 this year, up from 833 in 2025.
However, the force said there had been a reduction in the number of incidents across the country that needed a specialist public order response.
Where the trouble happened
In Edinburgh, officers were called to Oxgangs Road North at around 5pm on Bonfire Night after a group built a blockade across the road and set it alight. Officers were targeted with fireworks and specialist resources were sent to support them. The group left the area.
Police and public vehicles also had fireworks thrown at them in the Gracemount and Gilmerton areas of the city.
In Clydebank, at around 6pm, members of the public reported having fireworks thrown at them, and officers who attended were also targeted.
In Glasgow, at around 7.55pm, police and ambulance crews responding to a report of an injured man in Greenside Street were attacked with fireworks. A police vehicle was set alight and seriously damaged, and a police officer and an ambulance worker suffered minor injuries. An arrest was made.
In Dundee, specialist resources were made available after reports of a large group setting illegal fires in the Kirkton area, but were not needed.
Football and protest passed peacefully
The force said the Celtic v Besiktas match passed without serious incident, and that no resources were needed in relation to information circulating online about a planned protest in Glasgow.
800 calls to fire service in six hours
Between 5.30pm and 11.30pm on Bonfire Night, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service received more than 800 calls relating to fireworks and bonfires.
What happens next
Investigations into the incidents are continuing, and anyone with information about firework-related disorder is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.