How To... make sure bonfire night goes off safely

Keeping on top of antisocial behaviour on Guy Fawkes’ Night used to be the job of the police and fire service – but today housing associations and councils are taking a much bigger role because of the government’s pressure on them to tackle antisocial behaviour.

Responses to the problem vary but tend to focus on working with other agencies to prevent trouble and upping enforcement against problems in the week surrounding November 5. To prevent Bonfire Night getting out of hand before it’s even started, first make contact with the police. In 2002, the St Paul’s area of Bristol suffered a horrendous November 5. It made headlines because people got hold of industrial-size fireworks that were used as weapons and fired them at cars, homes and residents.

In response, Knightstone Housing Association set up a scheme to prevent a recurrence – and it went on to finish runner-up in last year’s Problem Oriented Policing national awards. Jayne Whittlestone, Knightstone’s Bristol manager, had a police contact through a community partnership and warden scheme, so she asked the force to raise their presence next time. They agreed and put 200 officers in the area for eight days around Bonfire Night 2003. Because the nearest police station was more than two miles away, Knightstone offered them its St Paul’s offices as a base too.

Stop children buying fireworks

Get trading standards on board because they have the power to stop shops selling fireworks. In Bristol, residents knew which shops were selling fireworks to children, and passed this information on to a trading standards officer who attended partnership meetings. They then used young volunteers to test whether shops would sell them fireworks, and took action against those that did. “Trading standards have fantastic resources and powers,” says Whittlestone. The police or fire service have the resources to educate children about fire safety, too. In Bristol, they produced a leaflet on firework safety for children. This was delivered by Knightstone’s staff to all homes in St Paul’s.

Prevent unauthorised fires

Reduce the chances of people starting unauthorised fires by staging a major clean-up. Liverpool Housing Trust uses resident volunteers trained by Cheshire Fire Services to report abandoned rubbish throughout the year. Community initiative housing officer Sally Muscart says: “They are alert to potential fire risks and contact community wardens if they see dumped rubbish.”

Residents knew the shops selling fireworks to children so used young volunteers to test them

The volunteers contact the council’s waste contractor. Hatton council has arranged for its contractors to be on site for two days, driving round the estate looking for flammable materials. Working with the fire service on your Bonfire Night plan will also allow you to share information about where local troublemakers hang out and where fires have started in the past – allowing you to put wardens in the best places.

Organise your own event

You can’t expect everyone to stay at home on Bonfire Night, so invite them to an organised bonfire or stage an alternative event. Bristol residents decided on a defiant candlelit vigil. “One person said, ‘I’ll sit there with a candle on the green – I’m not going to be terrified in my home’, and lots more joined in,” Whittlestone says. So 30 to 40 residents sat quietly on a green for three hours. It was one of the quietest Bonfire Nights ever. “Because of the publicity, the leaflets and the police being out, there were only two or three arrests,” she says.

The aftermath

You will probably need to clean up after Bonfire Night. Peter Yoh, neighbourhood manager for Liverpool-based Community Seven, explains that New Deal for Communities funds a contractor to clear up burnt-out bonfires quickly. This is necessary if you want it done within 24 hours, he says. “If you wait for the council, you’re waiting a week or so. We want to remove burnt-out fires because they might attract another fire the next night.”