Cost Of Policing Parades In Focus

The money being spent policing NI parades was in focus this week. The PSNI Chief Constable, Sir Hugh Orde told the NI Policing Board yesterday that contentious marches with a 'high threat of disorder' divert tens of thousands of pounds of PSNI resources from other frontline services. He said that the cost of policing parades in Northern Ireland was £5m last year. It is understood the cost of the operation for last weekend's Whiterock parade alone was in excess of £100,000. "That's a substantial cost in terms of what we could've done with £5 million in terms of community policing and in terms of dealing with crime levels, which is exactly what communities talk to me about," he said. The top cop was speaking against a background of separate discussion on parades. Members of the NI Policing Board's Human Rights and Professional... [read full story]                    

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