Police seize a tonne of fireworks intended for Bonfire Night disorder

Police Scotland has seized a tonne of fireworks worth around £42,000 and arrested a man ahead of the Bonfire Night period.

The items, which have an explosive content of 163kg, were discovered in a van in Rosyth, Fife, following an intelligence led recovery by detectives in Edinburgh investigating planned disorder within the Capital as part of Operation Crackle.

A 24-year-old man has been arrested and will appear in court at a later date and has been placed under curfew during the period of 31 October to 6 November.

Assistant Chief Constable Tim Mairs said: “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 the purpose of causing violence and disorder.

“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.

“We will continue to gather intelligence and evidence against anyone who wishes to jeopardise the safety and wellbeing of people and ensure they are brought to justice.”

Last week, Police Scotland launched Operation Moonbeam, its annual public order response to violence and disorder over the Bonfire Night period.

Over 60 people have been reported for their involvement in fireworks offences over the Bonfire Night period for 2024 and Police Scotland is dedicating more resource than ever before to tackle crimes involving fireworks

This year, many officers including those in the Tayside and Edinburgh areas, will be equipped with Body Worn Video cameras during the Bonfire Night period.

If you have information that can help prevent Bonfire Night disorder, please contact Police Scotland via 101 or make an anonymous report to the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.