Opinion: 1,700 police officers for one night. Is this really what Bonfire Night has become?
Firework control zones and dispersal orders are helping. But a celebration that needs Scotland's biggest police operation since a presidential visit tells us something has gone badly wrong.
Sparklers on Bonfire Night. File photo. · Photograph: Ali (CC BY 2.0)
There was a time when Bonfire Night meant sparklers, a local display and a hot drink with the neighbours. This year, Police Scotland is planning its biggest operation since Donald Trump's visit, with up to 1,700 officers available and public order vehicles borrowed from 18 forces in England and Wales.
Some of that is down to coincidence: Celtic are playing Besiktas in Glasgow the same night, and police are monitoring a possible protest. But the core reason is depressingly familiar. A minority of people, many of them young, now treat fireworks as weapons.
In 2023, more than 60 officers were injured across Scotland. In Niddrie, police were attacked with petrol bombs. Firefighters in Glasgow, Dundee and elsewhere were targeted while trying to do their jobs. That is not mischief. It is violence.
Some signs of progress
It is only fair to recognise what is working. Firework control zones, which make it a criminal offence to set off fireworks in certain areas, are now in force in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Emergency calls about fireworks fell by around 37% last year, and police took fewer calls this Halloween than last.
Officers also say most people behaved impeccably. That should not be forgotten. The vast majority of Scots enjoy fireworks responsibly.
But it is not enough
Still, on Halloween night fireworks were thrown at people, cars and buildings in Glasgow, Tranent and Bonnyrigg. Four control zones in a city the size of Glasgow will never cover every street where trouble flares. Residents of Knightswood, which applied for a zone and did not get one, have already had a flat fire this month that locals suspect was caused by a firework.
Enforcement matters, and those responsible must face consequences. But policing alone cannot fix this. Too many young people have nothing to do and nowhere to go, and see disorder as entertainment. Youth services, community events and properly organised displays are part of the answer too, and many of those have been cut.
Rethinking sales
There is also a reasonable debate to be had about how easy it still is to buy powerful fireworks. Scotland has introduced new restrictions, and the UK government has consulted on further reform. Glasgow MPs and councillors have called for tighter rules. Ministers should listen.
Bonfire Night should be a celebration, not a public order emergency. Getting there will take more than police officers on one night of the year.