Price tag for policing parades revealed
Nearly £6m has been spent on policing parades in Northern Ireland in the last five months.
Figures out from the PSNI show that £5.7m was poured into dealing with parades- policing and public disorder between April and August 2011.
The statistics were compiled on request for the Northern Ireland Policing Board and cover the period from 1st April 2011 to 31st August 2011. The cost is made up of district policing resources; specialist resources; support from other departments; investigation costs; damage to vehicles and catering.
The figures only relate to costs of policing parades or disorder directly associated with parades and therefore the disorder in East Belfast or Ballyclare is not included.
£2.2 m was needed to police the Twelfth of July period alone as officers dealt with sectarian rioting across the city.
Trouble in Ardoyne on the 12th and 13th of July cost us nearly £800,000.
The total costs of policing parades, associated protests, bonfires and subsequent public disorder from Sunday 10th July to Wednesday 13th July across Northern Ireland was approximately £2.2m -the same as last year.
Assistant Chief Constable Alistair Finlay said that the policing operations over the five month period facilitated human rights and protected communities.
ACC Finlay said: “The vast majority of parades passed off peacefully, however, unfortunately, violence broke out in a few small areas during the summer. This was not representative of the vast majority of communities across Northern Ireland who are working side by side for a better future”.
Chair of the Committee, Conall McDevitt MLA said:
“Whilst policing costs are broadly similar to those of previous years these figures are still shocking. Given current pressures on the policing budget and the public purse I have no doubt the wider community will share the concerns of Board Members on this issue.
For communities that have been affected by serious public disorder there is a much wider cost that is not measurable in monetary terms but has a very serious community impact”.
