South and East Belfast Sinn Féin -- Building an Ireland of Equals

Cost of Policing East Belfast parades and 'unacceptable drain on resources'

Published: 30 September, 2009

East Belfast Sinn Féin representative Niall Ó Donnghaile has described the cost of policing Loyalist parades which pass interface areas in East Belfast as an 'unacceptable drain on resources'.


Niall was speaking after it was revealed at last weeks East Belfast DPP meeting that the cost of policing such parades in East Belfast from 1st June 2009 to 31st August 2009 was approximately £118,000.


Niall Ó Donnghaile said,

"The cost of policing loyalist parades which passed interface areas in East Belfast during this summer amounted to approximately £118,000. This represents an unacceptable drain on vital resources that could be better spent tackling crime in the East Belfast area.


"Unionist politicians cannot complain about a lack of policing resources while simultaneously justifying this type of expense. Communities throughout East Belfast are demanding better and more effective policing yet the excuse that is often used to justify the PSNI's failure to tackle rising levels of crime is lack of resources.


"Policing these types of parades on a regular basis cannot be justified and the organisers of such events need to consider the amount of money being spent during the Loyalist marching season, a season which seems to last the whole year round in East Belfast, and the drain it has on the PSNI's resources." CRÍOCH