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Osborne: insostenibile il costo delle parate

‘Parade policing cost not sustainable’

Peter OsborneSpending millions of pounds policing contentious parades in Northern Ireland is no longer sustainable, the head of the Parades Commission has said.

As the summer marching season officially drew to a close, Peter Osborne said he was heartened that increased local engagement had delivered some results in 2012.

While trouble again flared in north Belfast on a number of occasions over the summer, feared major disorder at a massive loyal order march last month was averted after intensive talks on both sides.

Mr Osborne, who is chair of the parades adjudication body, said engagement at local level was key to further progress next year.

Earlier this month police revealed that the cost of policing the marching season soared from £5.7 million in 2011 to £7.4 million this year.

Mr Osborne said: “Spending upwards of £7 million over the course of a year on policing parades and related protests is unsustainable.

“Take Rasharkin (Co Antrim), for example, where £600,000 was reportedly spent policing parades through a small village with a population of less than a thousand people. Clearly that is not the best use of scarce public resources.

“People will rightly ask how many neighbourhood policemen could that money provide, tackling the needs identified across the community?

“Obviously public order must be maintained and the rights to parade and protest must be protected, but as a society we can’t ignore the financial, economic and social costs associated with parading disputes.”

Mr Osborne added: “We have listened carefully to local politicians and others outline their intention to engage in processes and quiet conversations aimed at delivering progress. The Commission has long advocated the positive effect that constructive leadership can have on difficult and contentious issues.

“We will assist any efforts and, as consistent proponents of local accommodations being reached through dialogue, we will give these processes and initiatives the required time and space to take their course.

“Ideally, if local accommodations were reached the commission would not be required to make determinations during next year’s traditional marching season. That is an ambitious target, but the building blocks are already in place.

“The momentum generated by on-going political leadership, a willingness to engage in dialogue and further demonstrations of goodwill and mutual respect could have significant benefit for the 2013 marching season, provided the work is started now.”

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René Querin

Di professione grafico e web designer, sono appassionato di trekking e innamorato dell'Irlanda e della sua storia. Insieme ad Andrea Varacalli ho creato e gestisco Les Enfants Terribles.

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