Police in Fife have seized a staggering tonne of fireworks, valued at £42,000, in a dramatic operation just days before Bonfire Night 2025. According to BBC Scotland News, the fireworks—found in a van in Rosyth on Monday, October 27—contained a hefty 163kg of explosive material. The recovery, which police describe as intelligence-led, was part of a broader effort to head off planned disorder in Edinburgh during the notorious Bonfire Night period.
The operation, dubbed Operation Crackle, was spearheaded by detectives in Edinburgh and has already resulted in the arrest of a 24-year-old man. Authorities have imposed a curfew on him from October 31 to November 6, with a court date pending. Police Scotland is currently consulting with prosecutors about whether to release images of the seized fireworks to the public, The Scotsman reported.
Assistant Chief Constable Tim Mairs did not mince words about the significance of the seizure. "This is a significant recovery of fireworks ahead of the Bonfire Night period, as our intelligence suggests these were set to be distributed to individuals across Edinburgh for the purpose of causing violence and disorder," he told BBC Scotland News. "Seizing these items means that we have effectively taken more than a tonne of potentially dangerous weapons out of the hands of those who wish to cause fear and alarm within our communities and carry out attacks on emergency services, buses and members of the public."
The annual Bonfire Night, which falls on November 5, has long been a flashpoint for public disorder in Scotland. Last year, the country witnessed a surge in violence, with about 100 young people clashing with riot police in Edinburgh's Niddrie area. According to BBC Scotland News, fireworks and petrol bombs were hurled at officers, and similar attacks on police and firefighters were reported in Clydebank, Edinburgh, and West Lothian. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) noted that emergency crews were "bombarded" during these incidents.
Police Scotland has responded by ramping up its annual public order response, Operation Moonbeam, which was relaunched last week. The force says it is dedicating more resources than ever before to tackling crimes involving fireworks, including equipping officers in Edinburgh and Tayside with body-worn video cameras over the Bonfire Night period. Officers are also urging the public to report suspicious activity, either directly to Police Scotland via 101 or anonymously through Crimestoppers.
Reflecting on the violence of previous years, Edinburgh police officer Insp Scott Casey shared his harrowing experience in a new Police Scotland video. "We were getting attacked with fireworks, we were getting bricks thrown at us," he recalled. "We were getting pots and pans that had been looted from a nearby shop thrown at us. I specifically was targeted with fireworks. I had about six or seven fireworks that hit me in the chest. After about half an hour or so, I turned around to my right and I saw a massive flash of orange on the right hand side. And that was when the petrol bombs started coming in."
Casey detailed the toll these confrontations take on officers. "One officer was hit with a brick to his thigh and another was hit with a firework on the leg. I believe there's another officer that got a firework trapped underneath his visor and exploded, so some serious and horrific injuries," he said.
The violence is not limited to emergency services. Lothian bus driver Tony Beecher described the moment his bus was struck by a brick: "It takes a split second for you to lose your attention and that can have significant consequences, not just for you but for everyone on the bus and everyone else that's on that road." He added that a colleague suffered "life-changing" injuries to his eye when an object was thrown through the cab door during the same period.
Tragically, children have also been victims. Catherine, a mother from Edinburgh, recounted to BBC Scotland News how her 11-year-old son Max suffered third-degree burns after an aerosol can exploded near a fire he and his friends had set for a social media video. "He had shorts on and his whole legs were just peeling. I'll never forget the screams that came from him that night. The pain and stress that we've gone through as a family, that five or six weeks of him recovering. It was awful." She urged parents to speak with their children about the dangers of playing with fire.
In response to last year's chaos, authorities have introduced new measures to curb disorder. Edinburgh City Council has reintroduced Fireworks Control Zones (FCZs) in nine areas—including Balerno, Calton Hill, Niddrie, and Seafield—where temporary restrictions proved effective last year. Additional bans have been enacted in Corstorphine, Moredun, Gracemount, Longstone, and Sighthill. The zones will be enforced from October 31 to November 9, with penalties reaching up to a £5,000 fine or a six-month custodial sentence for violations, according to the council's website. Police Scotland will also align enforcement with any dispersal zones established for Bonfire Night. Glasgow is following suit, designating Govanhill, Pollokshields, and Broomhouse as FCZs for November 2025.
Despite these efforts, the challenge remains daunting. More than 60 people have already been reported for fireworks offences over the Bonfire Night period in 2024, according to police figures cited by The Scotsman. Assistant Chief Constable Mairs emphasized the gravity of the situation: "You're not just messing about, you're having an impact on individuals' lives. You're affecting their health, you're affecting their wellbeing, their psychological health. You're also drawing resources away from keeping your community safe and protecting the public."
Mairs made it clear that anyone choosing to create fear or attack those keeping the public safe will be pursued with "unrelenting" determination. "We will use all available technology, resources and policing tactics at our disposal to keep our people safe while they, in turn, work with other emergency service partners to protect the public from harm. Please help us make Bonfire Night 2025 a safe event for everyone looking to enjoy it."
As the city braces for another Bonfire Night, the message from authorities is unmistakable: the safety of the community is paramount, and those seeking to exploit the festivities for violence or disorder will face the full force of the law. The hope is that, with these robust measures and the vigilance of the public, this year's celebrations can proceed safely for all.
