Police call for ban on fireworks

Published on Sunday 22 April 2007 01:26

POLICE in Scotland are demanding a complete ban on the sale of fireworks to the public. The call will be made on Tuesday during the first day of the Scottish Police Federation's annual conference.

It comes after a near 20% rise in the number of injuries sustained from fireworks last year. But despite politicians and other senior police officers throughout the UK making similar pleas, there is likely to be resistance to the plan.

Some critics fear that any prohibition would lead to firework production being pushed underground with 'kitchen sink chemists' making their own.

Tuesday's move will be formally put forward by the Strathclyde Joint Branch when the organisation meets for the two-day seminar in Peebles.

In 2006, 94 people in Scotland were injured by fireworks during a 33-day period starting on October 11 - an increase of 27 on the number of victims in 2005.

Of those hurt, 78% were injured on the street while more than half of the total were aged under 16.

This was despite the Scottish Executive's introduction of new laws in 2004 to prevent the sale of fireworks to schoolchildren. There has been cross-party support for a clampdown on fireworks with Labour's Cathy Peattie, the Tories' Jamie McGrigor and Shona Robison from the SNP all in the past calling for a toughening up of the firework laws.

However, Scotland's rank-and-file policemen believe the current legislation does not go far enough and are now demanding a complete ban.

But a spokesman for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents cast doubt on the wisdom of the idea.

He said: "Fireworks are a traditional form of entertainment and we are not of the opinion that banning them will help. This would open the door to illegal fireworks being imported and sold on the black market or over the internet."