\u201cYou\u2019re literally selling explosives to people\u2026I can\u2019t believe society would tolerate this.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fireworks are being used as weapons against police officers and there need to be stricter point-of-sale controls, South Yorkshire Police Federation has said.<\/p>\n
At the end of October, police officers from Doncaster\u2019s off-road bike team were targeted with fireworks when they were investigating a theft. Thankfully no one was injured, but more reports came in from across the country of police officers being targeted with fireworks on Bonfire Night.<\/p>\n
South Yorkshire Police Federation Chair Steve Kent said: \u201cEvery year, we see it again, officers being assaulted and ambushed with fireworks. Something has got to be done about it.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn Scotland there has been a fundamental law change in the way that fireworks are used this year [in \u2018Fireworks Control Zones\u2019, only people running professional fireworks displays can purchase fireworks].<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got to deal with the point-of-sale fireworks in this country, there needs to be a fundamental change to the way that fireworks are allowed to be sold. You can buy fireworks in every shop up and down the land. For me, if people want to use fireworks responsibly, they should have to apply for a permit to do so and go to the trouble of having to jump through some hoops to actually get hold of them.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re literally selling explosives to people. When those explosives are then used against cops and members of the public, you\u2019re chucking a rocket at somebody, you\u2019re chucking a very small hand grenade at somebody. I can\u2019t believe society would tolerate this.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not saying that we should ban them fully, we\u2019re saying that it should be controlled, it should be regulated, and tightened up because cities up and down our country are turning into war zones on Bonfire weekend, and that is just not acceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n