Auto Amazon Links: No products found.
Scotland is preparing for its most extensive police operation since the high-profile visit of President Donald Trump last year, as authorities gear up for Bonfire Night. The operation, named Amberlight, aims to address a complex set of safety challenges expected on and around 5 November. These include managing fireworks-related disturbances, a major European football fixture involving Celtic, and potential protests in Glasgow.
The planned deployment could see up to 1,700 officers engaged in maintaining public order. To bolster local resources, additional public order vehicles and personnel are being brought in from 18 police forces across England and Wales through mutual aid agreements. Police Scotland emphasizes that Operation Amberlight is designed to safeguard both the public and emergency responders during what is traditionally a busy and sometimes volatile night.
The operation will enhance the ongoing annual initiative known as Operation Moonbeam, which is now in its ninth year and focuses specifically on combating fireworks-related criminal activities. Local police teams receive extra specialist support under Moonbeam to manage any incidents in their areas. This year’s Bonfire Night presents extra complexities, notably the UEFA Europa League match between Celtic and Turkish side Besiktas at Celtic Park, as well as the circulation of online reports indicating planned protests in Glasgow on the same evening. Police Scotland is coordinating these efforts under one comprehensive policing plan to ensure a unified response.
Ch Supt David Robertson, the gold commander of Operation Amberlight, highlighted the significance of the night: “Bonfire Night remains one of the busiest nights on the calendar for Police Scotland. We are committed to supporting local policing divisions with dedicated nationally co-ordinated specialist capabilities. Operation Amberlight builds on what is already in place to further enhance our capability and capacity to respond to the unique challenges we may face on 5 November. Whilst we have seen improvements in recent years, we are not complacent, and with these additional challenges, our enhanced model will see the largest deployment of police forces since the visit of President Trump.”
Recent years have witnessed serious disorder during Bonfire Night, with 2023 being particularly violent. That year, over 60 officers were injured nationwide amid petrol bomb attacks and fireworks thrown at police, especially in Edinburgh’s Niddrie district. Similar anti-social behavior occurred in Dundee, Glasgow, Blantyre, and Blackburn, with emergency services repeatedly targeted. Events around Halloween this year also resulted in injuries and disruption, including the withdrawal of bus services in Niddrie despite police confiscating fireworks and petrol in advance.
The Fireworks Control Zones (FCZs), which prohibit the use or throwing of pyrotechnics in designated parts of Edinburgh and Glasgow, will be enforced from 30 October through early November—ending on 8 November in Edinburgh and 9 November in Glasgow. Violations carry criminal penalties. Police Scotland’s strategy aims to prevent the kind of disturbances seen in recent years, drawing on lessons learned from previous operations as well as the costly and heavily resourced response to President Trump’s visit in July 2025. Operation Roll 2 during that event involved 7,340 officers and cost £21 million
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
Auto Amazon Links: No products found.
