Deploying 1,700 police officers on the streets to deal with Bonfire Night violence cannot be accepted as normal, the Scottish Police Federation has said.

Seven people were arrested and a police van set alight in violent flashpoints during what was Scotland's biggest police operation since the visit of President Donald Trump last year.

A police officer and an ambulance staff member were injured when they were attacked with fireworks while responding to a report of an injured man in Glasgow.

The body which represents rank and file officers has now called for tougher stop-and-search laws and a crackdown on youth crime to tackle what has become an annual night of trouble.

David Kennedy, the general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, told the BBC's Radio Scotland Breakfast programme: "To have 1,700 police officers out, that's not normal, and we can't accept it as normal.

"So we have to look into and and see what we can do.

"The only way I think we do that is by relooking at what's going on in Scotland at the moment and looking at our society to see how can we fix this."

He added: "We need to have better stop-and-search powers. We need to be able to demask these individuals on the spot and we have to make sure that they get arrested because having them reported is not stopping it, let's be honest."

The police vehicle was completely burned-out during disturbances in Greenside Street in the Provanmill area of Glasgow, and a 16-year-old boy was arrested.

The van was removed from the scene as morning-after clean-up operations got under way across the city.

In other incidents on Thursday night, police and members of the public were targeted with fireworks in several areas of Edinburgh.

Fire service personnel also came under attack in a number of towns while responding to calls. No firefighters were hurt and no serious damage was caused to fire engines.

The disturbances in Glasgow and Edinburgh took place outside the Fireworks Control Zones (FCZs) where the use of pyrotechnics is banned.

"Police officers, ambulance staff and firefighters are there to protect communities – not be the target of violence," Ch Supt David Robertson said.

He would not be drawn on timescales for arrests, but said: "Investigations began last night, they are progressing today and we will make arrests as soon as we can.

"We have to make sure that we build really thorough cases because it's really important that we see those strong criminal justice outcomes, and I hope that we get sentences that will act as a real deterrent.

"We will thoroughly investigate these matters. We'll prepare robust cases in conjunction with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, making use of body-worn video, CCTV, helicopter [footage], all the evidential sources that we will need."

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service received more than 1,172 calls relating to fireworks and bonfires between 17:30 and 23:30 and attended more than 767 incidents.

In Edinburgh, 21 dispersal orders were issued, with 13 given out in Glasgow. No-one was charged in relation to any breaches of Firework Control Zones.

Scotland's Education Secretary Mairi McAllan said any instances of disorder or attacks on the public or on emergency services were "completely unacceptable".

She told Radio Scotland Breakfast: "Police Scotland were well prepared. Our emergency services were well prepared. The vast majority of displays went ahead without any problems, and that's to be welcomed.

"But nonetheless, I would want to be absolutely unequivocal. Totally unacceptable that any disorder related to fireworks should be ongoing."

Scottish Conservative Justice Spokesman Stephen Kerr called for the SNP government to immediately double to two years the maximum sentence for people who attack emergency workers.

He said: "There must be a zero-tolerance approach to those who assault those just doing their jobs and who are trying to keep communities safe from these dangerous thugs.

"These thugs must now feel the full force of the law and be properly punished for their actions."

The Scottish Greens have renewed their call for a ban on the sale of fireworks to the general public.

The party's Justice Spokesperson Maggie Chapman said: "We know what happens when fireworks are so widely available.

"These explosives are thrown at people in the street, they terrify pets and wildlife, and they leave people who are sensitive to sudden loud bangs dreading this time of year.

"Communities shouldn't have to put up with this every November and then face it all again at Hogmanay."

Between 31 October and 5 November, a total of 1,024 fireworks-related calls were received, an increase from the 833 calls received in 2025. However, there was a reduction in the number of incidents requiring a specialist public order response.

Fireworks were thrown at members of the public in Clydebank and there were attacks on fire crews in the Knightswood and Castlemilk areas of Glasgow, Cumnock in East Ayrshire, Larkhall in South Lanarkshire, and Blackridge in West Lothian.

Police said they had received reports of youths "creating a blockage in the road" on Oxgangs Road North in Edinburgh, at about 17:30.

The fire service attended a fire in a grassed area near houses in Murrayburn Park in the city's Wester Hailes shortly after 19:00.

Fireworks were also thrown at a fire engine in Knightswood in Glasgow, while in the Kirkton area of Dundee, a public order unit was deployed after more than 100 young people gathered and started a fire on the road.

Reports suggest a crowd of approximately 50 people were launching fireworks and causing disorder.

A 15-year-old was taken to hospital in Alexandria, West Dunbartonshire, after lighting a firework that exploded and damaged his eye.