Police to accompany fire crews in parts of Glasgow on Bonfire Night

Police officers will be based at 10 fire stations across Glasgow and nearby areas this Bonfire Night, with some accompanying firefighters to calls, as Scotland mounts its biggest public-order operation since US President Donald Trump’s visit last year.

The new Operation Amberlight is intended to protect fire crews from attacks and support responses to incidents. The wider operation could involve up to 1,700 officers, with extra public-order vehicles and drivers brought in from 18 forces in England and Wales.

Police Scotland says the operation must also account for a Celtic match against Besiktas at Celtic Park and possible protests in Glasgow. Superintendent Ross Aitken said plans were in place to respond proportionately as the intelligence picture developed.

Scotland’s annual Halloween and Bonfire Night policing operation, known as Moonbeam, is in its ninth year. It has expanded since disorder in 2023 left 62 officers injured. Fireworks Control Zones, where setting off or throwing fireworks is a criminal offence, have grown from 12 to 18 this year, according to Scottish Fire and Rescue Service commander Mark Cleland.

There are signs of a quieter start to this year’s period: police received 144 fireworks-related calls on Halloween, down from 160 in 2025. But serious incidents have also been reported, including a firework landing near a pram in Glasgow’s Drumchapel area. Two youths have been charged after reports of fireworks being thrown in Bonnyrigg, Midlothian.

Last year, the fire service received about 750 calls on Bonfire Night and attended more than 250 bonfires. Police said just over 830 calls between 31 October and 5 November required a local or specialist response, more than a third fewer than the previous year.

The BBC reports that organised displays remain an option, although many large council-run events in Scotland have stopped, with costs including insurance, security and stewarding among the pressures. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service says about 20 organised displays took place in the five days before Bonfire Night, with another 79 planned.