In an unprecedented move to safeguard emergency workers, police officers will be stationed inside firehouses and will accompany fire crews on calls during Bonfire Night festivities across Scotland. This strategy is part of what authorities are calling the largest police operation since former US President Donald Trump's visit in 2019, driven by a unique convergence of safety challenges.

Unprecedented Deployment

Up to 1,700 officers may be deployed to handle fireworks-related disturbances, a European football match involving Celtic, and potential protests in Glasgow. To bolster resources, additional public order vehicles and drivers are being drafted from 18 police forces in England and Wales under mutual aid agreements.

Emergency services have consistently advocated for organized displays as the safest and most spectacular way to enjoy fireworks. However, many council-run Bonfire Night events across Scotland have vanished in recent decades due to financial pressures, including insurance, security, and stewarding costs, as well as the complexities of organizing large public gatherings. Glasgow has not hosted a display at Glasgow Green since 2019, before the Covid pandemic, and the council-run event at Edinburgh's Meadowbank Stadium was last held in 2017. Nevertheless, numerous clubs and private venues continue to host organized displays throughout Scotland.

According to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS), around 20 organized fireworks displays have taken place across Scotland in the past five days, with another 79 planned.

Operation Moonbeam and the Fight Against Disorder

Scotland's annual public order operation for Halloween and Bonfire Night, known as Operation Moonbeam, is now in its ninth year. The operation has expanded significantly, especially following a surge in disorder in 2023 that left 62 officers injured. The most severe violence occurred in the Niddrie area of Edinburgh, where groups of youths attacked officers with fireworks, petrol bombs, and other missiles. Glasgow and Dundee have also experienced considerable disorder in recent years, with emergency workers frequently targeted.

This year, a new initiative called Operation Amberlight will see police officers based at fire stations in certain areas to better protect emergency crews. Glasgow and its surrounding region are a particular focus, with officers operating from 10 fire stations across Glasgow, East Dunbartonshire, and East Renfrewshire.

Superintendent Ross Aitken explained, "It's to provide support to fire service colleagues. Should they come under attack, then the police officers will be there to support them. But it's also just to provide an effective and efficient response to any incidents that may occur." He added, "The vast majority of the public act in a responsible and safe manner, but to the small minority who are intent on engaging in anti-social behaviour and other criminality - we will adopt a robust response to you."

Fireworks Control Zones

Since 2024, Fireworks Control Zones (FCZs), which prohibit the use of pyrotechnics in designated areas, have been implemented in known trouble spots, first in Edinburgh and then in Glasgow the following year. Under these restrictions, setting off a firework within an FCZ boundary or throwing one into a zone is a criminal offence.

SFRS Commander Mark Cleland said, "If you look at the incident stats over the last few years, there's certainly been benefit from the fireworks control zones. And there's been an increase in control zones from 12 to 18 this year, so hopefully we will see a further reduction in antisocial behaviour within these zones."

Last year, the fire service received around 750 calls on Bonfire Night and attended more than 250 bonfires. Between 31 October and 5 November 2025, police said just over 830 calls required a local or specialist response, but that figure was down by more than a third on the previous year.

Cleland emphasized, "For firefighters, we have dealt with anti-social behaviour on occasions; it tends to be the minority, but what we want is our personnel and our staff who are out on Thursday night to ensure that they go home safely to their families. They are mums, dads, brothers, and sisters just the same as everybody else in the community, and we really want our crews to make it home safe."

Recent Incidents and Challenges

So far this year, there has been a modest decrease in fireworks-related calls to police on Halloween. A total of 144 were received on Saturday night, down from 160 in 2025. However, there have been more serious incidents, including one where a firework landed near a pram in the Drumchapel area of Glasgow, leaving a child badly shaken. In Bonnyrigg, Midlothian, there were reports of fireworks being thrown in the high street. On Tuesday, police seized 350kg of fireworks worth about £12,000 from an address in the Penilee area of Glasgow. Officers said they were being sold online, with some having the capacity to fire 600 individual rockets.

This year's Bonfire Night operation will see police coping with two further challenges, both in Scotland's biggest city. Celtic will take on Turkish side Besiktas in a Uefa Europa League match at Celtic Park, which kicks off at 20:00. Officers say they are also aware of images circulating online suggesting planned protest activity will also take place in Glasgow the same night.

Superintendent Aitken said, "So that intelligence picture just continues to develop, and that will be fed into the planning team so that we can adapt our response. There are a number of competing events that are going to take place on Thursday. But I can give that assurance that we have proportionate policing plans in place to deal with that."

Animal Welfare Concerns

Animal welfare organizations regularly highlight the distress fireworks can cause to pets, livestock, and wildlife. Two years ago, Edinburgh Zoo said a three-month-old red panda named Roxie had probably died from stress linked to Bonfire Night fireworks. The zoo now falls within a firework control zone, which it welcomed as a positive step forward.

Ben Supple, deputy chief executive of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, which runs the zoo, said this was only part of the solution. "Ahead of Bonfire Night, we would ask members of the public to be mindful of the impact fireworks can have on animals and to avoid setting them off near the zoo or in areas where they may cause distress to wildlife and pets," he said.

The Scottish SPCA has called for a UK-wide ban on the private sale and use of fireworks, and a 90 decibel noise limit as an interim measure, down from the current 120db limit. The charity advises pet owners to keep animals inside after dark, closing windows and doors and curtains, and having music playing or the TV on during a nearby display.