A big policing operation is under way in Scotland, the largest since the visit of the US president, Donald Trump, last year, with public order vehicles and drivers to be brought in from English and Welsh forces under a mutual aid agreement. Fireworks control zones banning pyrotechnics are in place in parts of Edinburgh and Glasgow, part of a crackdown aiming to avoid scenes from Bonfire Night 2023, when dozens of police officers were injured.
Police in West Yorkshire said the period around 5 November was one of the busiest times of the year, where riot officers and police helicopters are routinely called to the Hyde Park area of Leeds to address disorder from fireworks being used as missiles. Thirty tonnes of illegal fireworks were seized in Bradford and Halifax before the Halloween and Bonfire Night period.
Seven people were arrested in Birmingham on Saturday after fireworks were set off in the city centre on Halloween, and a Salford pub landlady reported that about 60 teenagers surrounded the building, shooting fireworks at it and harassing passersby.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government figures show 129 firefighters were injured in attacks in England in the year ending March 2025, up from 96 the previous year, with 13 suffering serious injuries. Scottish fire and rescue service figures show 16 physical attacks and 20 attacks on property and equipment in 2025-26.
A National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) spokesperson said: “Some people may feel more vulnerable to harassment and antisocial behaviour at this time of year. We want people to go out and enjoy the season’s activities but they must ensure that they do not cross the line into antisocial behaviour and are mindful of the impact that their activity may have on more vulnerable people in the community.”
The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) chair, Phil Garrigan, said firefighters “put themselves on the line to protect others” and “should never face violence or abuse from the people they are there to help”. He added: “Every attack on a firefighter is unacceptable. As well as putting individual firefighters at risk of harm, it can affect their ability to respond effectively and protect the communities that rely on them.”
The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) national officer Adam Taylor said fire services had been “decimated” since 2010 and called for an increase of 5,000 firefighters “to ensure that we can respond to these incidents safely with the right number of firefighters and in the quickest time possible”. He said fire stations had closed and hundreds of frontline fire engines had been removed from service, “which will inevitably stretch the response and increase the response times”.
Calls for regulation of fireworks have continued to grow alongside public concern, particularly around the safety of animals. More than 1.6 million people have signed Change.org petitions calling for regulations. The Scottish Greens on Wednesday called for a ban on private firework sales which they said would stop “dangerous, unorganised displays”. In 2024, an endangered baby red panda at Edinburgh zoo named Roxie died from stress caused by fireworks on Bonfire Night, according to the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland. The National Sheep Association urged people to consider “a moment’s thought for the sheep in the next field”, warning that flashes and bangs from fireworks could cause ewes to miscarry lambs and livestock to panic and bolt.