The cost of policing the ongoing Drumcree stand-off has reached £3 million, PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher has told the Northern Ireland Policing Board.
Mr Boutcher was speaking publicly for the first time since the five-day stand-off began, addressing a public session of the board this morning.
He said the PSNI’s objective had been to facilitate the Parades Commission determination permitting a parade of 35 Orangemen along the Garvaghy Road.
However, he stressed that the determination did not mean police were required to facilitate the parade regardless of the risks involved.
“Without that determination such a parade would be unlawful. What it does not mean is that the police must accommodate that determination at all costs,” he said.
Mr Boutcher said he also had a statutory responsibility to preserve the peace and maintain public order.
He said the circumstances were different from those of 1997 and that officers would not force members of the Orange Order, many of whom were older, through what he described as a hostile and potentially unsafe crowd.
He warned that such an approach would be disproportionate and could have catastrophic consequences for Northern Ireland.
The Chief Constable said his aim remained to facilitate the Parades Commission determination, but only in a way that was safe and proportionate.
Police assessments indicated that allowing the parade to proceed on Sunday would have required a level of force that risked serious injury and a further escalation into disorder.
Mr Boutcher said such an approach would not have been proportionate.
He also warned that those involved in the unlawful protest could face criminal consequences, particularly anyone found to have incited or organised it.
He confirmed that he had spoken to the Public Prosecution Service about the matter, with a range of potential offences under consideration.
Mr Boutcher described the short timeframe in which events had unfolded as “incredibly unhelpful”, particularly given the complexity of the legal proceedings taking place simultaneously.
He told the board that the PSNI had once again become the “shock absorbers” when divisions within Northern Ireland society emerged.
He said a peaceful and lasting resolution was in everyone's interests.
Asked why Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Bryant had not been asked to intervene, Mr Boutcher said he had the authority to request a review of the Parades Commission determination if he considered it appropriate.
He also referred to Section 11 of the relevant legislation, which provides the Secretary of State with a range of powers.
Mr Boutcher said the board could be assured that he was continually reviewing the situation. However, he did not currently believe a request for the Secretary of State to review the determination was necessary.
“We are creating the time to resolve this, and that is in the interests of everyone,” he said.
