Bonfire Night: Violent attacks on police put fireworks industry in last chance saloon
Amid today’s health and safety culture, it is bizarre that we allow anyone to buy small explosives
And so it begins. With Halloween behind us, attention now shifts to that other event that is also scary but for all the wrong reasons.
Bonfire Night has changed. The 1605 Gunpowder Plot failed because Guy Fawkes was caught but even if that hadn’t happened, Parliament would have been quite safe if the explosives came from the same people who used to produce our fireworks. Splutter, Fizzle and Flop would have been appropriate brand names.
Then came cheap imports from overseas, increasing the power, the noise and also the risk. Two years ago, more than 60 Scottish police officers were injured after being attacked with fireworks and petrol bombs at the start of November. Fire and ambulance crews were also targeted.
Last year was better but police still faced disorder on the southside of Glasgow, with Scottish Fire and Rescue called out to 370 incidents across the country on Bonfire Night, and elsewhere.
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Fireworks control zones
For the past week, Operation Moonbeam has been in place, with police resources focussing on those believed to be planning disorder. On top of that, fireworks control zones are being used in Edinburgh and Glasgow, making it illegal for the public to set off fireworks within certain designated areas.
Spare a thought for the poor police officers chasing around in the dark trying to apprehend the idiots who see the zones as a challenge rather than a warning. If they don’t work, the fireworks industry really is in the last chance saloon.
In a society increasingly focussed on health and safety, it’s a bizarre anomaly that we allow anyone and everyone to buy small explosives with no guarantees about how they will be used.
On top of that there are the unintended consequences. For years, animal charities have been calling for a fireworks ban because of the distress caused to pets. There are also environmental considerations. When they explode fireworks release fine dust particles rich in toxic metals boosting air pollution by up to 20 per cent.
Australia’s tough stance
For these reasons, firework use has been declining. The big end of Edinburgh Festival display is now a thing of the past and Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo has switched to drones and a few low noise fireworks instead. No politician wants to be seen to stop the fun so the tough decisions on fireworks are continually kicked down the road.
This week the Scottish Government confirmed there were no plans to pursue a licensing scheme aimed at restricting the sale of fireworks that was promised three years ago. Instead resources would focus on the police and fire response.
Others take a different view. In Australia, not normally a place we associate with fun-hating killjoys, a major crackdown is underway after years of problems. In some states fireworks are now classed as an explosive and can only be handled by pyrotechnicians.
In others you need a licence to be able to buy and use fireworks and ignoring this risks a $50,000 fine and up to a year in jail.
Traditions like Bonfire Night are part of our national life and something we should cherish, but only if they take place safely for everyone concerned. Otherwise the calls for further restrictions will continue to grow and grow until, like the fireworks themselves, they become too loud to ignore.