Police car set alight in Glasgow as fireworks target emergency crews on Bonfire Night

Glasgow: police car burned as crews came under fire

Police Scotland said officers and ambulance workers were sent to Greenside Street just before 8pm after a call about a hurt man, a location the BBC placed in the Blackhill area. While they tried to reach him, both crews were targeted with fireworks, and a police vehicle was set alight and seriously damaged. One ambulance worker sustained a minor injury, and one man was arrested. Dozens of onlookers watched the car burn in the middle of a residential street, after which emergency services were forced to pull back. Operation Amberlight specialist resources were deployed, and police said they would keep a presence in the area while inquiries continue.

Edinburgh: bins ablaze and crews pushed back

The first incident in Edinburgh came around 5.30pm on Thursday, when Police Scotland received a report of youths blocking Oxgangs Road North. Officers who arrived said fireworks had been directed their way, though no injuries were reported. Wheelie bins were tipped over and lit in the Oxgangs district and the Colinton Mains area. A fire service spokesperson said crews had withdrawn after meeting anti-social behaviour, and Police Scotland was called in to assist. Later, firefighters attended a bonfire shortly after 7pm in Wester Hailes, where a grass fire close to homes at Murrayburn Park was put out by a single appliance. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service put out a number of blazes in bins and the green space nearby. One witness who asked not to be named told the Press Association that youths were lighting fires in the park and letting off fireworks at officers and firefighters.

Wider disorder across Scotland

Fireworks were also aimed at a fire appliance in Knightswood, Glasgow, and social media videos showed a police vehicle on fire in Riddrie, which the Scotsman gave as the area for the Greenside Street call. Bonfires were reported in Castlemilk and Bridgeton. In Dundee, officers brought in a public order unit when over 100 youths assembled and set a blaze on the carriageway. BBC reports suggested around 50 people were setting off fireworks and causing disorder there. Medics took a 15-year-old to hospital in Alexandria after a firework he was lighting exploded and damaged one of his eyes.

Police deployment and response

To support its Bonfire Night operation, Police Scotland brought in officers from forces in England and Wales, including Avon and Somerset, Hampshire, Hertfordshire and South Wales. The deployment was the largest since Donald Trump's visit last year. The evening coincided with a European football match and a possible protest in Glasgow. Before the officers went out, Chief Superintendent David Robertson said he was "confident that we're ready for whatever may happen this evening" and told officers at a briefing at Fettes police station what the extra capacity was for.

“Tonight is about capitalising on the additional capability and capacity we've got deployed tonight.”

Robertson added that police needed to act decisively when required.

“We need to respond effectively and we need to make our presence felt when it's required.”

Police said inquiries were ongoing in Glasgow and Edinburgh, and officers were still deployed in the affected areas.