Police Scotland is gearing up for its largest operation since the 2019 visit of President Donald Trump, with as many as 1,700 officers potentially deployed on Bonfire Night. The November 5th operation, codenamed Operation Amberlight, is intended to address a "unique" combination of safety concerns, including fireworks-related disorder, a UEFA Europa League match between Celtic and Besiktas, and anticipated protest activity in Glasgow.
To manage the anticipated challenges, additional public order vehicles and personnel are being mobilized from 18 police forces across England and Wales through mutual aid agreements. Police Scotland has stated that individuals involved in disorder around Halloween and Bonfire Night will face "very real consequences." This will be reinforced by Fireworks Control Zones (FCZs) in designated areas of Edinburgh and Glasgow, which prohibit the use of pyrotechnics from October 30th.
Operation Amberlight builds upon the annual Operation Moonbeam, now in its ninth year, which provides specialist support to local police divisions to counter fireworks-related criminality. The additional complexity this year arises from the confluence of events in Glasgow, including the European football match at Celtic Park and intelligence suggesting planned protests.
Ch Supt David Robertson, Operation Amberlight's gold commander, described Bonfire Night as one of the busiest on the calendar for Police Scotland. "Our enhanced model will see the largest deployment of police forces since the visit of President Trump," he said, emphasizing the commitment to enhanced capability and capacity to respond to the potential challenges.
Fireworks Control Zones have been established in Edinburgh and Glasgow, effective from October 30th through November 8th in Edinburgh and November 9th in Glasgow. Within these zones, setting off or throwing fireworks is a criminal offense. These measures come in response to significant disorder in previous years, including instances in 2023 where over 60 officers were injured across Scotland due to attacks with petrol bombs and fireworks, particularly in Edinburgh's Niddrie area. Similar incidents were reported in Dundee, Glasgow, Blantyre, and Blackburn.
In the lead-up to Halloween 2024, increased anti-social behavior resulted in an officer's injury and the temporary withdrawal of bus services from Niddrie, despite police seizing fireworks and petrol bombs during pre-emptive raids. The police response to President Trump's visits in July 2025, known as Operation Roll 2, involved 7,340 officers and incurred costs of £21 million.