One arrest has been made as officers and ambulance crews were targeted with fireworks and a police vehicle set alight as they tried to reach an injured man in Glasgow this evening, Police Scotland has said.
Firefighters were also forced to withdraw as they faced anti-social behaviour while attending to bin fires in the south of Edinburgh.
The incidents came amid a large police operation to deal with disorder on Bonfire Night, known as Operation Amberlight.
Police Scotland confirmed no officers suffered injuries during the disruptions, which took place amid a major security operation across the nation.
In Oxgangs and near Colinton Mains, bins were tipped over and set alight in the street.
A significant police presence was maintained in the area following reports of anti-social behaviour involving groups of young people. Witnesses reported that youths were aiming pyrotechnics directly at emergency personnel as they attempted to restore order.
One resident, who requested anonymity, told the Press Association: "They’re setting fire in the park and shooting fireworks at the police and firemen."
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Around 5.30pm on Thursday, November 5 2026, we received a report of a group of youths creating a blockage in the road on Oxgangs Road North, Edinburgh.
"Officers attended and fireworks were set off in their direction, but no injuries have been reported. Several small fires in bins and the park were extinguished by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.
"Officers remain in the area, and inquiries are ongoing to trace those involved."
Elsewhere in the capital, fire crews attended a blaze on grassland close to homes in Murrayburn Park, Wester Hailes. Firefighters were dispatched to the bonfire shortly after 7pm, with one fire engine needed to put out the flames.
As part of the Bonfire Night security campaign, Police Scotland requested assistance from forces across England and Wales, marking the largest deployment of officers since the visit of US President Donald Trump last year.
The November 5 celebrations coincided with a major European football match alongside a potential protest in Glasgow, bringing officers from Avon and Somerset, Hampshire, Hertfordshire and South Wales onto Scottish streets.
Chief Superintendent David Robertson of Police Scotland expressed confidence in the force's operational preparedness.
Speaking to the Press Association on Thursday afternoon, Mr Robertson said he is "confident that we’re ready for whatever may happen this evening".
"Tonight is about capitalising on the additional capability and capacity we’ve got deployed tonight," he told officers at a briefing at Fettes police station before deployment. We need to respond effectively and we need to make our presence felt when it’s required."
Mr Robertson highlighted that the vast majority of those celebrating would do so peacefully.
"Our job is to protect them from those who may have other intentions," he said. “If we do see disorder, my ask of you tonight is really simple: that you respond effectively to help protect the communities that might be affected."
Addressing officers at the Edinburgh headquarters, he called on them to act proactively, decisively and with discipline.
"If it’s necessary to make arrests, then please do so," he said.
He added that officers should be "disciplined and decisive at the same time" to ensure disorder is resolved "quickly, safely and effectively".
"It is not lost on me the additional training and responsibility you are all voluntarily taking on to go out and protect our communities tonight, and you may face considerable risk in doing so," he said.
"I am very grateful for your commitment. So, please look after yourselves and each other, and make sure that everyone gets home safely tonight."
Police Scotland chief constable Jo Farrell also briefed officers in Edinburgh before they were deployed, saying she was "absolutely confident" in her staff ahead of the evening.
Earlier, community safety minister Kirsten Oswald told BBC Radio Scotland’s Breakfast programme that calling in assistance under mutual aid agreements is "something that happens on a reasonably regular basis".
She added: "It’s really important that we do have the officers that are needed, the provisions that are needed this evening.
"It is quite a unique set of circumstances that the police are facing. They have the big football game, the potential disorder and, of course, Bonfire Night is already a very significant night in the calendar for all of our emergency services.
"The work that our emergency services do this evening is absolutely critical. I absolutely stand behind them in that, and would ask people to please consider their own behaviour, behave in an orderly manner. If you’re going to enjoy fireworks, do that safely."
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