Police vow to arrest thugs after Bonfire Night attacks on cops and firefighters

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Police chiefs has vowed to arrest the yobs involved in the "unacceptable behaviour" in Scotland's two largest cities on Bonfire Night as firefighters and police officers came under attack with fireworks and bricks.

Assistant Chief Constable of Police Scotland Tim Mairs promised arrests will be made in the coming days and weeks as blue light workers dealt with "significant disorder" in Glasgow and Edinburgh yesterday.

Over 1,000 calls were made to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) from the public during an eight-hour period on Bonfire Night - with six reported attacks on fire crews within three hours.

Whilst Police Scotland confirmed it had responded to 18 incidents on Tuesday evening as part of Operation Moonbeam, which aims to deal with Bonfire Night disorder. This was down from 26 in 2023 where a total of 62 officers were injured, but Mr Mairs stated there was a "dramatic fall" in the number of police hurt this year.

Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme, Mairs said: "It was very encouraging to see a reduction on the night in the level of significant disorder and a dramatic fall in the number of officers who were injured."

However, he added it was "still a very challenging evening" with "some significant disorder in a number of areas of Edinburgh and also in Glasgow".

Police in protective equipment, wearing helmets and with shields, were deployed in areas of Edinburgh, including Moredun, Niddrie and Broomhouse, with fireworks, bricks, masonry and bottles being thrown at officers, he said. Lothian Buses were also damaged with two attacks on fire appliances in the capital, Mr Mairs added.

He said: "I think the underlying issue was people who felt they have the right to not just attack the police, but sadly we also had some attacks on the fire services. These incidents have left communities alarmed and the public, police officers and other emergency service workers in danger.

"This is unacceptable behaviour and the focus for me is now on a very significant investigative approach. We will be looking at all the footage we captured last night and we will be making follow-up arrests in the coming days and weeks."

SFRS said as well as two incidents of fire appliances being attacked in Edinburgh, there were three attacks in Clydebank and one in Blackridge in West Lothian. Initial figures suggest crews responded to approximately 347 bonfires and 598 incidents across the country between 3.30pm and 11.30pm on November 5.

Andy Watt, SFRS deputy chief officer, praised the "professionalism and resilience" of frontline crews. He said: "Operations control firefighters answered over 1,000 calls tonight and have once again worked tirelessly to ensure we respond to those who need us the most.

"Unfortunately, several of our crews came under attack across Scotland, with six attacks within three hours. Crews were bombarded with missiles and fireworks while responding to emergency incidents.

"These attacks prevent our crews from bringing any emergency to a safe and swift conclusion, and can impact on our emergency service colleagues - including the police when they must escort us at the scene. This type of behaviour is, of course, carried out by a very small minority and we once again thank our communities for their continuing support and working together with us to stay safe across the bonfire period."

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