Largest police deployment since Donald Trump's Scotland visit planned for Bonfire Night

Police Scotland has drafted in officers from England and Wales to assist policing efforts on Bonfire Night.

The force said it would be the largest officer deployment since US President Donald Trump visited Aberdeenshire in 2025.

In addition to Bonfire celebrations on November 5, Glasgow will also host a UEFA Europa League match at Celtic Park when Celtic takes on Beskitas.

Police are also aware of images circulating online suggesting planned protest activity in the city on the same night.

To meet the additional needs, officers from England and Wales are being brought in to provide support under Operation Amberlight.

These include public order officers from Avon & Somerset, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Cheshire, Cumbria, Derbyshire, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Lancashire, Warwickshire, Wiltshire, Kent, North Yorkshire, North Wales, West Mercia, Staffordshire, and South Wales Police.

‘We are not complacent’ says police chief ahead of Bonfire Night

Chief Superintendent David Robertson, Gold Commander for Operation Amberlight, said: “Bonfire Night remains one of the busiest nights on the calendar for Police Scotland.

“We are committed to supporting local policing divisions with dedicated nationally coordinated specialist capabilities, and Operation Amberlight builds on what is already in place to further enhance our capability and capacity to respond to the unique challenges we may face on November 5.

“Whilst we have seen improvements in recent years, we are not complacent, and with these additional challenges, our enhanced deployment model we will see largest deployment of police resources since the visit of President Trump.

“As a national service, one of our strengths is our ability to deploy officers where they are needed across the country, supporting local policing teams with specialist capabilities.

“In the face of increasingly more complex demands, we can build on that strength with mutual aid from colleagues in England and Wales to meet the additional demands.

“I thank them for their assistance as we work together to protect the public, reassure communities and respond effectively to incidents.”

In addition to more officers, police are also utilising fireworks control zones and dispersal zones to limit anti-social behaviour which has plagued some areas of Glasgow in previous years.

Officers will have the power to direct groups of more than two to leave a certain area and not return for 48 hours.

It will be a criminal offence to set off fireworks in areas such as Govanhill, Pollokshields, Broomhouse, Harbour Terrace and Pollok between October 30 and November 9, carrying a possible £5,000 fine and up to six months in prison.