As Halloween approaches, the events of last year’s holiday are on the minds of many nervous Kirkton residents.
It was a night of riots which saw fireworks thrown at police, several fires started and St Paul’s RC Academy smashed up.
The shocking action, which was compared to “scenes from a war-torn nation”, sparked a call for tougher restrictions on fireworks.
Earlier this year, local authorities across the country were given the ability to create areas where it is illegal to set off pyrotechnics.
But Dundee City Council did not use their new powers to ban fireworks in Kirkton, or elsewhere.
As traditional celebrations for October 31 get underway, we spoke to residents in Kirkton.
Many in the north-central neighbourhood fear that there could be more riots and say a ban should have been implemented.
But others disagree, believing that young families shouldn’t be punished for the actions of others.
Have your say in our poll below.
Kirkton resident Billy says ‘I feared for my grandchildren last Halloween’
Billy Dunn believes the council should have used their powers to keep residents and their property safe.
The 45-year-old, who owns Sweet Stop Shop in Broughty Ferry, says: “I agree with a ban at a certain level.
“But it is a very complicated subject.
“I’m a family man – I have children and grandchildren.
“I love doing fireworks, and I would still gladly buy them.
“But when they are being used around my home area dangerously, it puts my kids and grandkids at risk.
“Maybe a ban would stop the stupidity.
“Obviously, some families do use them safely. But others are stupid.
“What happened last year put a big dampener on people’s lives.
“There needs to be some kind of crackdown.”
Billy recalled the terrifying incidents of last Halloween: “It happened right outside my son’s house, where my grandchildren are.
“It got to the point where I was fearing what was going to happen.
“My son’s car was sitting there in the centre of it all.
“Thankfully my grandkids slept right through it.
“But my son, in his twenties, sat at his window and watched it unfold.
“Everyone was shocked
“It was carnage, broken windows, things on fire, bins everywhere. The school was even targeted.”
‘It’s not just Kirkton’
But he believes that a ban should apply to all “built up areas” in Dundee, not just Kirkton.
He said: “I’ve lived in most schemes across Dundee and every scheme has its idiots.
“So I don’t think a ban should be specifically targeted at Kirkton.
“I think it should be banned in certain built up areas.
“And it wasn’t just the Kirkton lot who were rioting last year – kids came from across the city.
“So I think Kirkton is getting a bad name unfairly.”
Billy added that he was glad to see Asda ban the sale of fireworks in its Dundee stores after the night of disorder.
He said: “I do agree with Asda banning the sale of fireworks last year, after what happened.
“More supermarkets should do the same.
“I am totally against fireworks being sold or available to children or idiots.”
‘Why should my grandkids miss out on fireworks?’
One of Billy’s neighbour’s, William Dunne, thinks differently.
The 68-year-old lives on Balgowan Avenue, which was at the centre of last year’s carnage.
Drivers were forced to turn around on the street when wheelie bins and other items were placed across the road and set alight – creating a “wall of fire”.
Although he doesn’t normally buy fireworks, he doesn’t want his grandchildren to miss out.
He said: “I am really against a ban.
“A lot of young kids love fireworks.
“My kids have bought them for their families for years.
“If they were banned, my grandchildren would miss out.
“And I guarantee you would still get some people rioting and misbehaving.
“It wasn’t fireworks that caused the riots.”
The retired property maintenance worker continued: “I think a blanket ban is unfair on families and people who use fireworks responsibly.
“If you go to Asda, they have banned them. A lot of shops in the area have banned them now. I just think it is ridiculous.
“It is controlling, they are taking everything away from us.
“And people will still find a way to get hold of them [fireworks] if they want to.”
Instead of a ban on fireworks, William believes more police officers are the answer.
He says their reaction was too slow last year – a sentiment echoed by many other residents on the street.
But he has more faith in them ahead of this Halloween.
He said: “I don’t think there will be a repeat of what happened last year.
“I think the police will be on top of it this year. They will be more prepared”.
A Dundee City Council spokesperson said: “We carry out a range of preventative work in our communities with partners, including Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.
“Given the timescale required to follow the process to introduce a Firework Control Zone, the earliest date it could have been introduced would have been mid to late December.”
Police Scotland has been contacted for comment.
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