Police investigating Bonfire Night ‘mobbing and rioting’ in Pollokshields

Residents were told officers were working around the clock to review “hours and hours” of video footage.

One man and a juvenile were arrested on the night and a further three suspects have already been identified.

Police believe the majority of culprits were adults – mostly from the local area – and many of the fireworks were bought online and hidden in cars and flats.

Ameen Mohammed, chairman of Pollokshields Community Council, said there had been a crackdown on cash and carry stores where youths used to buy industrial-grade fireworks.

“I think in recent years with social media, especially Instagram, people can actually get an UberEats-type delivery of fireworks sent to their house – that’s a difficult thing to deal with,” he said.

Three local councillors attended the meeting – Zen Gani, Norman MacLeod and Jon Molyneux – but the city council was not able to provide an officer to address the meeting at short notice.

Cllr Molyneux, who is campaigning for fireworks to be banned across the whole city to avoid stigmatising some areas, said he hoped a FCZ next year would “make it unambiguous what is an offence and will help people come forward to report disorder”.

He added: “It would hopefully concentrate the police’s response a bit more rather than being spread out… if there are more isolated bits of disorder.”

Dr Ahmed said he would support a private member’s bill from Luton North MP Sarah Owen calling for restrictions on the sale of fireworks, external.

In a social media post, Dr Ahmed thanked the police for their “constructive updates” on the “criminality and chaos on Bonfire Night, external“.

“We will work to ensure this level of vandalism never returns to our streets,” he added.