Protecting ‘Derry Day’ cost police £301K: 5% of total parading cost

The landmark Apprentice Boys Relief of Derry parade accounted for five per cent of the total £5.7m spent on parades, policing and public disorder in 2011. Only the Twelfth in Ardoyne cost more - £766,000.

The annual commemoration of the relief of the city following the Siege of 1689 was marred when police were attacked by nationalist rioters. Republicans splinter groups were blamed for orchestrating the violence.

Members of the Policing Board’s Human Rights and Professional Standards Committee were briefed on the overall cost of policing parades and associated public disorder during the April to August period.

They were informed of the £5.7m costs at a meeting with Assistant Chief Constable Kerr to discuss the policing of the parading season.

Loyalist parades cost £5,216,00 and republican parades cost £255,000 with other parades accounting for £216,000.

The total costs of policing parades, associated protests, bonfires and subsequent public disorder over the Twelfth was £2,196,000.

The cost of policing seven sensitive parades - including the Relief of Derry - was £1,654,000.

Incredibly, across Northern Ireland there were 237 notified bonfires; 95 non-notified bonfires; 866 parades requiring PSNI support; 128 riot squad call outs; and 3,134 police officers were deployed on July 12 alone.

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.

“These issues need more debate and discussion and as a Board we will work with PSNI, the community and other stakeholders to ensure those conversations happen.”

In addition to costs, questions at the meeting focused on the police handling of contentious parades, police follow up investigations to incidents of public disorder, the use of force and public order equipment, issues relating to community confidence and the PSNI approach to communications with key stakeholders including communities, the Parades Commission and within the Criminal Justice System.

The Committee will return to these issues on 26 October at a meeting arranged to discuss a review initiated by PSNI on the Public Order Response.