by BILL HEANEY
Deploying 1,700 police officers on the streets to deal with Bonfire Night violence cannot be accepted as normal, the Scottish Police Federation has said.
Seven people were arrested and a police van set alight in violent flash points during what, in West Dunbartonshire. was for the most part a remarkably quiet Guy Fawkes celebration.
Although one teenager was taken to hospital after he sustained an eye injury at a bonfire in Alexandria.
Curmudgeonly West Dunbartonshire Council have refused to comment on the success of their widely publicised fireworks night in Levengrove Park, Dumbarton. It appears The Dumbarton Democrat has been banned sine die from speaking to their press officers.
Police Scotland made huge preparations across the country to tackle major incidents and – apart from the police car conflagration – there was none.
However, they were not content that things were not as bad as in previous years.
We can’t accept this as normal, said a spokesperson for the Police Federation.
A police officer and a paramedic were injured when they were attacked with fireworks while an ambulance crew responded to a report of an injured man in Glasgow.
The body which represents rank and file officers has now called for tougher stop-and-search laws and a crackdown on youth crime to tackle what has become an annual night of trouble.
David Kennedy, pictured right, the general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, told the BBC’s Radio Scotland Breakfast programme: “To have 1,700 police officers out, that’s not normal, and we can’t accept it as normal.
“So we have to look into and and see what we can do.
“The only way I think we do that is by relooking at what’s going on in Scotland at the moment and looking at our society to see how can we fix this.”
He added: “We need to have better stop-and-search powers. We need to be able to unmask these individuals on the spot and we have to make sure that they get arrested because having them reported is not stopping it, let’s be honest.”
The police vehicle was completely burned-out during disturbances in the Provanmill area of Glasgow, and a 16-year-old boy was arrested.
The van was removed from the scene as morning-after clean-up operations got under way across the city.
In other incidents on Thursday night, police and members of the public were targeted with fireworks in several areas.
Fire service personnel also came under attack in a number of towns while responding to calls. No firefighters were hurt and no serious damage was caused to fire engines.
“Police officers, ambulance staff and firefighters are there to protect communities – not be the target of violence,” Chief Superintendent David Robertson, pictured left, said.
He would not be drawn on timescales for arrests, but said: “Investigations began last night, they are progressing today and we will make arrests as soon as we can.
“We have to make sure that we build really thorough cases because it’s really important that we see those strong criminal justice outcomes, and I hope that we get sentences that will act as a real deterrent.
“We will thoroughly investigate these matters. We’ll prepare robust cases in conjunction with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, making use of body-worn video, CCTV, helicopter [footage], all the evidential sources that we will need.”
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service received more than 1,172 calls relating to fireworks and bonfires between 17:30 and 23:30 and attended more than 767 incidents.
Scotland’s Education Secretary Mairi McAllan, pictured right talking to reporters, said any instances of disorder or attacks on the public or on emergency services were “completely unacceptable”.
She told Radio Scotland Breakfast: “Police Scotland were well prepared. Our emergency services were well prepared. The vast majority of displays went ahead without any problems, and that’s to be welcomed.
“But nonetheless, I would want to be absolutely unequivocal. Totally unacceptable that any disorder related to fireworks should be ongoing.”
Scottish Conservative Justice spokesman Stephen Kerr, left, called for the SNP government to immediately double to two years the maximum sentence for people who attack emergency workers.
The Scottish Greens have renewed their call for a ban on the sale of fireworks to the general public. The party’s Justice Spokesperson Maggie Chapman said: “Communities shouldn’t have to put up with this.”
Between 31 October and 5 November, a total of 1,024 fireworks-related calls were received, an increase from the 833 calls received in 2025. However, there was a reduction in the number of incidents requiring a specialist public order response.
Fireworks were thrown at members of the public in Clydebank and there were attacks on fire crews in many other areas.
A public order unit was deployed after more than 100 young people gathered and started a fire on the road.
Reports suggest a crowd of approximately 50 people were launching fireworks and causing disorder.