Tag: criminal behaviour

Police Scotland statement following disorder in Trongate area of Glasgow

Police Scotland officers dealt with unacceptable violence and hostility as fans gathered in Glasgow on Saturday, 16 May, to celebrate Celtic’s Premiership title win.

Around 3000 people made their way to the Trongate area of the city following the match, where we faced significant levels of disorder in which officers were injured. Missiles, including glass bottles, were thrown at them when assisting with a medical emergency.

Specially trained public order officers were deployed and action was taken to restore order, disperse the crowd and make arrests.

Extensive enquiries are underway to identify others involved and further arrests will be made.

A significant amount of alcohol and pyrotechnics were also proactively seized by officers across the day.

Assistant Chief Constable Mark Sutherland said: “While we recognise that the majority of fans respected the appeal from police and partners to act responsibly, several thousand still descended on the Trongate area, some of whom engaged in serious disorder.

“Once again, we have seen unacceptable levels of violence and anti-social behaviour and Police Scotland’s officers have been left to deal with the consequences. Being assaulted is not part of the job and regrettably a number of them were injured.

“The levels of criminal behaviour witnessed, in particular the hostility directed towards our officers, is simply unacceptable and cannot be tolerated. Those involved should be in no doubt that they will be identified and arrested.

“This mass assembly of people caused significant disruption to local businesses, residents and members of the public in the City Centre.

“Urgent discussions with Celtic, wider Scottish football authorities and other stakeholders, including Glasgow City Council, is required to achieve a solution that improves public safety, reduces disruption and prevents this from happening again.”

Police are engaging with Heart of Midlothian FC to establish if any of their players were assaulted on the pitch at the conclusion of the event. The circumstances of the incident are being reviewed.

Man arrested in connection with human trafficking and exploitation offences

A man has been arrested and charged in connection with an ongoing operation to tackle retail crime.

This operation forms part of Operation Dynos, with officers gathering information over the last few months. Following enquiries, officers believe that vulnerable young people are being targeted to steal alcohol from stores across the west of Scotland.

On Friday (10 April, 2026), officers arrested and charged a 42-year-old man in connection with human trafficking and exploitation offences. He is due to appear at Glasgow Sheriff Court tomorrow – Monday, 13 April, 2026.

Constable Sharon McDermott said: “We remain committed to tackling retail crime, while at the same time safeguarding young people from harm and coercion into criminal behaviour.

“We continue to gather evidence and utilise all resources at our disposal to tackle this type of crime.”

Experienced firefighter recalls “horrible” moment her crewmate was struck with firework

A seasoned firefighter has spoken of the terrifying moment her crew came under attack with fireworks. 

Watch Commander Debbie McCafferty serves communities at both Glasgow’s Clydesmill Community Fire Station and at Carluke Community Fire Station.

Debbie has protected communities since 2002 and balances her wholetime role with family life and responding to emergencies via a pager.

Last year, she and her on call crewmates came under attack during a callout to an unofficial bonfire in Carluke. 

After engaging with the crowd in attendance, Debbie and her colleagues began to extinguish the bonfire. It was then a firework was fired in their direction. 

Debbie recalled: “There were loads of people around the bonfire. As we began to extinguish it and the crowd began to disperse, we heard a whistling noise.

“I looked around to my left and an unexploded firework had hit a trainee firefighter on his leg. We both instinctively kicked it away and then it went off. 

“It was horrible, really horrible. Thankfully everyone was okay, but all it would have taken was for the firework to get stuck in his tunic or for it to have landed in front of us and it would have caused severe injuries. 

“We’re there trying to do a job and keep people safe. We’re not targets and we don’t deserve to be treated like that.” 

Firefighter Scott Stevenson attended the same incident and was struck by the firework. He recalled: “It was quite dark, and I was stood making sure the fire was out when I heard a whistle. 

“I felt something strike my leg and my colleague pulled me to the side as the firework exploded. 

“It was a scary situation and could have been a lot worse. 

“My family were very upset and angry when they found out.” 

Debbie is keen to point out that attending an organised firework event or bonfire display is the safest way to enjoy the bonfire season – but she is realistic enough to know many people will host firework displays or have bonfires at home. 

She said: “Have a good time and enjoy yourself but do it in a safe manner. Don’t put yourself at risk and don’t ruin anyone else’s fun. Respect other people and consider the impact of fireworks on animals. 

“We’re not there to ruin anyone’s fun, we just want to keep people safe – and that includes ourselves.” 

You can find out key safety information, including the Bonfire Code, on the SFRS website. 

On there, you will also see a full and updated list of all public firework events taking place across Scotland. 

Police Scotland ‘monitoring protests in other parts of the UK’

Police Scotland is closely monitoring the violent protests which have occurred in parts of the UK over recent days.

Police Scotland wishes to reassure communities that there is no intelligence indicating similar incidents are likely in Scotland. We continue to liaise with a range of partners to maintain this level of reassurance.

Assistant Chief Constable Catriona Paton, Policing Together, said: “We understand that these recent events may cause concern, that is why we have focused our efforts on increasing policing visibility and engagement across the country as our primary commitment remains the safety and wellbeing of all our communities and our officers and in building trust and confidence.

“We continue to closely monitor the  events in England. Police Scotland is dedicated to upholding human rights and will not tolerate violence or discrimination against any group.

“ We wish to thank the Scottish people for their support and while we believe there is no cause for alarm, we encourage anyone with concerns or information to report them to us.”