Drumcree parade will not be policed at any cost – PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher
It appears, as things stand, that PSNI cannot police the Parades Commission determination.
It is hoping that an agreed way forward can somehow be found through talks and it continues to assess whether the determination can be enforced.
But any move would see hundreds of protesters back on the Garvaghy Road, in essence re-creating the circumstances that stopped Sunday’s parade.
The PSNI also does not want to “torpedo” talks being held by the secretary of state.
Not for the first time, it finds itself in no-win situation, damned no matter which course of action it takes in the absence of some negotiated plan.
There is also unhappiness at how the Parades Commission presented the police advice in its determination.
The ruling said the police had “no information” the parade would result in disorder, only to look foolish 48 hours later.
However, a court judgement published on Tuesday night, external tells a different story.
It states a range of potential scenarios had been mapped out, from a peaceful parade to “violent disorder”.
In just over a month’s time, the PSNI will mark its 25th anniversary.
And here it finds itself – in the middle of a dispute which is older than it is.
