I was on the scene of Edinburgh Bonfire Night chaos last year and 2025 brought much-needed change
Fireworks lit up the sky last night – but on the ground, tensions barley flickered.
It was in stark contrast to previous years which saw senseless violence across parts of the capital, including vehicles attacked with projectiles and emergency service workers pelted with fireworks.
Stationed in Niddrie, an area that has seen notable disorder in the last two years, I joined a small group of media that had arrived on the night to report from the scene. Similar to last year, there was a significant police presence, with officers standing guard on street corners and several riot vans parked along the streets.
But unlike last year, no riot gear was needed. The streets were quiet with the only noise coming from fireworks being set off in nearby gardens. Officers could be seen carrying out occasional stop and searches on individuals and small groups were regularly dispersed by police – all without incident.
Throughout the evening reports of antisocial behaviour came in from other parts of the city with one bus service being diverted in Broomhouse. It later emerged that ‘youths were throwing fireworks within the Calder Road and Sighthill Park areas’ but the group left the scene after police arrived.
The Divisional Commander for Edinburgh, Chief Superintendent David Robertson, previously told the Evening News that ‘planning for this year’s Bonfire Night policing campaign effectively began on November 6 last year’ and it was evident that the police and the measures they had in place had made an impact.
This morning (November 6), Police Scotland ‘praised Scotland’s communities for their support following a considerable reduction in serious disorder’. The number of calls made to police between Halloween and Bonfire Night reduced by nearly 40 per cent – with ‘no significant incidents recorded between October 31 and November 4’.
Assistant Chief Constable Tim Mairs, Gold Commander for Operation Moonbeam, said: “First and foremost, I want to offer my thanks to the public across Scotland for their overwhelming support of our policing response and for working closely with us to make this a successful operation.
“While police were required to deploy into various areas and address certain incidents arising, there has been a notable and welcome reduction in both the number of serious disorder offences occurring, and the level of violence and hostility directed towards police officers, fire fighters, and ambulance crews.
“What’s really encouraging is the level of positive engagement we’ve had with communities over the last few months, and this has helped shape our policing plans for Operation Moonbeam, as well as providing vital intelligence that has led to some significant fireworks recoveries in advance of the Bonfire Night period.
“I am grateful to all of the partners and stakeholders who worked alongside us in the planning and delivery of Operation Moonbeam and to each and every officer and member of staff whose dedication and professionalism have made this a successful policing operation.”
Council leader, Jane Meagher, said: “It really did feel worlds apart from recent years – and I want to thank our communities for the part they played in that. Of course, I’m disappointed by the behaviour of a few mindless individuals and I hope they’re dealt with swiftly and appropriately. However, we only saw a fraction of the issues and disruption we’ve experienced in previous years and it’s such a relief that no one was hurt.”