Seven Arrested After Police Van Set Alight in Scotland
Bonfire Night disorder in Scotland left a police van burned and emergency crews hit by fireworks. Police say fewer incidents needed a specialist response than last year.
Fireworks were thrown at police, ambulance staff and firefighters across Scotland on Bonfire Night. Seven people were arrested, and a police van was set on fire in Glasgow.
Attacks on emergency crews
The van was seriously damaged in Greenside Street in the Provanmill area of Glasgow. A 16-year-old boy was arrested. A police officer and an ambulance worker had minor injuries after being hit with fireworks while they answered a report of an injured man in the city.
In several parts of Edinburgh, officers and residents were also on the receiving end of fireworks. Fire crews came under attack in a number of towns. No firefighters were hurt, and fire engines suffered no serious damage.
Crews were attacked in the Knightswood and Castlemilk areas of Glasgow, in Cumnock, Larkhall and Blackridge. Fireworks were thrown at people in Clydebank. In the Kirkton area of Dundee, a public order unit was sent after more than 100 young people gathered and lit a fire on the road.
Calls, orders and one injured teenager
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service took more than 800 calls about fireworks and bonfires between 17:30 and 23:30. Edinburgh saw 21 dispersal orders, and Glasgow 13. Nobody was charged over breaches of Firework Control Zones.
A 15-year-old was taken to hospital in Alexandria, West Dunbartonshire, after a firework he lit exploded and damaged his eye.
The police picture across the season
Between 31 October and 5 November, police took 1,024 fireworks-related calls. That is up from 833 in 2025. Ch Supt David Robertson said he was encouraged that fewer serious incidents needed specialist resources.
He said the Halloween and Bonfire Night operation was among the most demanding policing efforts in years. It involved the largest number of officers since last year's visit by US President Donald Trump. Officers from as far as Avon and Somerset, Hampshire, Hertfordshire and South Wales were ready to help.
"Police officers, ambulance staff and firefighters are there to protect communities – not be the target of violence," Robertson said. He added that investigations would now try to identify those responsible.
Education Secretary Mairi McAllan said the vast majority of displays passed without problems. She called any disorder linked to fireworks "totally unacceptable".
Source: BBC News