Edinburgh Halloween Unrest: Officer Injured, Buses Damaged Amidst Fireworks Incidents

On Halloween night, Edinburgh experienced disorder resulting in an injured police officer and damage to over a dozen buses. In the Niddrie area of the city, riot police faced projectiles including bricks and fireworks, leading to a female officer sustaining injuries when her vehicle’s window was broken. Additionally, an open-top bus transporting young people with disabilities was attacked with fireworks near the city’s Dynamic Earth attraction. A 14-year-old male was apprehended and charged with fireworks-related offences. This occurred just hours prior to the implementation of a fireworks exclusion zone in specific city areas. Prior to these events, law enforcement officers confiscated a “quantity of fireworks” and two cans of petrol during a search operation at a property located in Magdalene Gardens. Lothian Buses suspended a minimum of nine bus services as a consequence of anti-social conduct. Police also addressed occurrences on Moredunvale Road, Southhouse Road, Captain’s Road, and West Pilton Park, locations where several buses were targeted. Cammy Day, the leader of Edinburgh city council, reported that 16 vehicles belonging to the Lothian fleet sustained damage. Speaking on BBC Radio’s Good Morning Scotland, he described the night as a “horrible” night for the city. He stated: “It is despicable, the behaviour of a minority of people in certain areas of the city, attacking public service workers and bus drivers.” He continued, asking, “People who live there, good working people. How do they feel seeing their area awash with riot police?” Day emphasized, “We need to nip it in the bud now and take some hard decisions about how we deal with young people, but adults as well who were orchestrating this despicable behaviour.” Sarah Boyd, Lothian’s managing director, expressed that she was “deeply disappointed” by the attacks on their services. She further commented: “As a result of public disorder we were forced to remove services from a number of areas to ensure the safety of our people and our customers.” Boyd concluded, “I understand that we provide a vital service and I apologise to our many customers who I know will have been impacted.” During Bonfire Night the previous year, approximately 100 young individuals engaged in confrontations with riot police, with fireworks and petrol bombs directly aimed at officers in the same Edinburgh locality. Comparable incidents also occurred in Sighthill and Southhouse. In 2022, the Scottish government granted local authorities enhanced powers to establish ‘firework control zones’ (FCZs) subsequent to a significant riot in Dundee. The City of Edinburgh Council was the first Scottish council to approve the implementation of an FCZ in August. These regulations are effective from November 1st to 10th, making it a criminal offence for anyone to ignite a private firework within this timeframe. The council’s culture and communities committee, however, rejected a proposal for a zone encompassing the entire city. Police Scotland stated that the unrest was perpetrated by a small number of individuals “intent on causing fear and alarm.” Chief Superintendent David Robertson, who commands Police Scotland’s Edinburgh Division, declared: “I want to make it clear to anyone who thinks they will evade justice because they weren’t apprehended this evening, they are very much mistaken. “You will be identified during our inquiries, and you will be held to account for your actions.” In Dundee, officers addressed a “small number” of anti-social behavior incidents in the Kirkton area on Thursday. Reports to police involved youths throwing eggs, bottles, and fireworks, as well as igniting a small fire; however, no injuries were reported. This content is copyrighted by BBC in 2024, with all rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the material found on external websites. Information regarding our policy on external linking is available.