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Police officers plan legal action after Bonfire Night attack

Theo

Chaos erupted in the Niddrie district after a group of 50 youths threw fireworks and petrol bombs at riot police.

According to the Scottish Police Federation (SPF), which represents rank-and-file officers, around 70 officers were injured.

It said the vast majority of injuries were minor, but 21 of the officers still had hearing problems and another officer was still injured after being hit by a firecracker.

Video footage from the night showed officers in riot gear standing in a line as youths threw explosives at their feet.

Officers suffered minor injuries while responding to disturbances in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee, and incidents were also reported in other parts of Scotland.

And the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) said nine crew members were attacked across the country within eight hours.

At least three arrests were made in connection with the unrest in the following days.

David Kennedy, general secretary of the SPF, said the damage could have been prevented if officers had been provided with the appropriate protective equipment.

He told BBC Radio’s Good Morning Scotland program that the force had 10,000 sets of silencers at the time but had not issued them yet.

A Police Scotland spokesman confirmed there had been hearing problems, but police were not aware of any legal action at this stage.

Mr Kennedy called the violent riots in Niddrie an “unprecedented attack”.

“Officers in Niddrie were subjected to a constant barrage of fireworks, petrol bombs and other missiles for around three hours that evening,” he said.

He told the program that most of the officers involved in the trial now suffered from tinnitus, which could become a permanent problem.

“This is a problem that could have been solved if they had been given the appropriate earbuds that they could use with their radio waves to listen to the radio,” he said.

“Tinnitus is debilitating and for some it could get worse.

“Some officers could actually lose their hearing if it gets worse over the years, which could mean the end of their career.”

image description, David Kennedy said officials are considering a lawsuit against the police

Mr Kennedy said the SPF planned to gather information before seeking legal and medical advice for a personal injury claim against Police Scotland.

“But it looks like there will be a legal claim,” he added.

“When it comes to health and safety, we need to make sure this doesn’t happen again and that officers have the appropriate equipment and hearing aids so they can do their jobs safely.”

Deputy Chief Constable Tim Mairs is the gold commander of Operation Moonbeam, which was launched in 2018 to deal with the major public unrest around Bonfire Night each year.

He told BBC Scotland News the force was committed to protecting officers and staff from injury and harm while on duty.

He said: “Ahead of Operation Moonbeam 2023, Police Scotland purchased new noise-cancelling hearing protectors designed to protect our officers’ hearing without affecting their ability to hear routine noises or conversations in a noisy environment.

“These were not tested in time for use during the public order operation, but have since been made available to officers deployed to monitor the Hogmanay Street Festival, sporting events and other large-scale operations.”

He said 34 officers reported hearing problems after Bonfire Night and a full rollout of new noise abatement equipment was underway for all officers.

Fireworks control zones

It is an offense for a member of the public to fire fireworks within a fireworks control zone.

Edinburgh and Glasgow city councils both want to introduce the controls ahead of Bonfire Night this year to prevent similar riots from happening again.

They can now only be purchased and used by the public at certain times of the year, including Guy Fawkes Day, Hogmanay, Chinese New Year and Diwali.

It is now also a criminal offense to give or buy fireworks for a child. Anyone found guilty of such an offense is liable to a fine of £5,000, a six-month prison sentence, or both.

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