VisitScotland / Kenny LamA number of restrictions related to fireworks have been put in place across Scotland ahead of Bonfire Night amid fears of more violence.
Specially trained officers will be deployed across Scotland to combat disorder a year after violent scenes unfolded in Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Police have partnered with Crimestoppers and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service as part of Operation Moonbeam, an initiative to deter the criminal use of fireworks.
It comes after 62 officers sustained a range of injuries after being struck by or in the proximity of fireworks in incidents across Scotland last year.
STV NewsOn Halloween, violence unfolded, prompting police to lock down areas in Edinburgh and Dundee as groups of young people targeted police with fireworks and missiles.
Footage showed bottles being launched at passing police vehicles off Ulverston Terrace in the Kirkton area of Dundee.
In the Hay Avenue area of Niddrie, officers and public transport workers were pelted with fireworks and missiles, including bricks.
A female officer was injured after a brick struck the vehicle she was in, smashing a window.
What measures have been put in place ahead of Bonfire Night?
As part of Operation Crackle, officers in Edinburgh have revealed the city’s dispersal zones, which will be enforceable from 2pm on Friday, November 1, to midnight on November 5.
These will be in place in Gorgie, Saughton, Oxgangs, Liberton, Gilmerton, Gracemount, Portobello, Niddrie, Moredun, Muirhouse, Craigentinny, Pilton, and the city centre.
Glasgow City Council, which previously announced it would implement firework control zones, missed the deadline for introducing the legislation ahead of Bonfire Night.
One zone in Pollokshields was due to come into force from November 1 until November 10 and covered public and private spaces, including gardens.
Police ScotlandWhen the dispersal zones are in place, officers can order groups to disperse, leave the area unless they live there, and stop them from returning for a period of time.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We use this power where we have reasonable grounds to believe that the presence or behaviour of a group of two or more people in any public place is causing, or likely to cause, alarm or distress to any members of the public.
“If you knowingly contravene a direction given by an officer within a Dispersal Zone under these powers, you can be subject to an arrest without warrant.”
Officers can use Section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act to deter fireworks-related crime.
It allows police to stop and search people and vehicles to identify any dangerous instruments or weapons, if they believe there is a possibility of serious violence or disorder taking place.
Guy Fawkes violence: Firework-related crime continues year on year
Multiple cities have faced similar unrest in recent years on Bonfire Night.
Riot police were called to Beauly Avenue and Beauly Square in Kirkton as around 50 people were involved in disorder, which saw fires seal off roads and wheelie bins ablaze on October 31, 2023.
In the Niddrie area of Edinburgh, around 100 youths took to the same streets on November 5 in a repeat of the disorder seen in the same neighbourhood in 2022.
Four people, including a police officer, were taken to hospital in Glasgow following a “mass brawl” in the Barmulloch area last year.
Meanwhile, firefighters were bombarded with fireworks and bricks in nine attacks during an eight-hour period on Bonfire Night.
Tim Mairns, assistant chief constable at Police Scotland, spoke to STV News about the “unacceptable level of hostility and violence” seen across the country last year.
“Sadly, what we saw last year were individuals acting criminally, targeting communities and targeting emergency service workers, and that was really unacceptable,” he said.
“We took a robust approach to the last year. The message we want to send this year is we’re prepared for that.”
HandoutMr Mairns added that Police Scotland has worked with communities and partners to educate people on the harm fireworks can cause.
“This horrific behaviour jeopardised the safety and wellbeing of those who were trying to keep communities safe,” he said.
“Significant investigation was undertaken in the weeks and months that followed, and numerous people were charged in connection with these incidents.”
Mr Mairns also addressed the fact that a number of officers were unhappy with the protection provided to them while dealing with the violence.
It is understood that the force bought around 10,000 sets of sound suppressors designed to protect against noise-induced hearing loss before the outbreak of violence.
However, the suppressors were not issued to officers prior to Operation Moonbeam due to testing issues.
Officers claim that the force failed to provide them with adequate ear protection despite having the equipment, leading to multiple injuries.
The assistant constable said the force had learned from 2023 and 2022, adding that new equipment that has become available and will be available to officers to protect their hearing when close to loud noises such as fireworks.
Minister for Victims and Community Safety Scotland, Siobhan Brown, said: “Our emergency service workers do such a vital job.
“It’s everyone’s responsibility that if you do know of any activity that could cause harm please report it.”
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