Bonfire Night warning issued to stamp out anti-social behaviour
SPECIALIST teams are standing by to deal with anti-social behaviour on Bonfire Night, police have warned.
Senior officers have pledged to clamp down on troublemakers in the local area over the coming days as celebrations to mark November 5 gather pace.
Residents have also been reminded that anyone caught buying fireworks for youngsters could be fined or sent to prison.
And there are now tougher laws in place to deal with people who attack emergency workers.
Assistant Chief Constable Tim Mairs said: “A range of highly-trained public order officers will be available to policing commanders across Scotland to enhance their resources and deal with any issues that arise, as well as to reassure communities that we remain committed to keeping them safe over Bonfire Night.”
Last month it became an offence to buy or attempt to buy fireworks for anyone under the age of 18, in the same way as it was already illegal for adults to buy cigarettes and alcohol for children.
Anyone breaking the law could be fined as much as £5,000 and handed a six-month prison term.
Mr Mairs added: “The introduction of the proxy-purchasing offence helps us limit the access young people have to fireworks and gives us more powers of enforcement for those who choose not to obey the law.”
As well as tighter laws for buying pyrotechnics, the Scottish Government also introduced rules which make a firework attack on ambulance, police and fire crews an aggravating factor which can be taken into account by judges when sentencing offenders.
Mr Mairs said: “The new aggravator for attacks on emergency service workers is a welcome addition to existing legislation and ensures those responsible receive the severest punishments for their actions.”