Chris Lyttle MLA said: “It is shocking that so much money has had to be spent on policing parades and parades related protests in seven months. This money should have been spent on community policing and protecting against the terrorist threat.
“It is unsustainable to expect the Police to continue to spend so much of their budget on parades. At a time when dissident republicans have left three bombs in Belfast city centre in recent weeks, this money could have been better spent on protecting the public from the current terrorist threat.
“Fundamentally, there is a need for everybody to respect the rule of law, including those involved in both parading and protesting. If they had done that, this money could have been better spent on things that the community needed.”
ENDS