Policing the Drumcree standoff has cost Northern Ireland £5.5 million

The Drumcree dispute has escalated policing costs to an estimated £5.5 million, Justice Minister Naomi Long reported to the Assembly. The figure includes about £1.25 million for mutual-aid support from police forces across the United Kingdom, with the remainder covering overtime, extra expenses and forthcoming legal bills. The surge in spending follows a near two-week confrontation in Portadown after the Parades Commission permitted an Orange Order parade along the predominantly nationalist Garvaghy Road, a route not used for almost thirty years.

Large crowds gathered in opposition, leading police to deem the procession unsafe to escort. The standoff ended when Secretary of State Sir Chris Bryant ordered the parade banned. Long urged the Northern Ireland Office to cover the mutual-aid costs, noting that the diversion of police resources will affect other policing activities, courts, legal aid and potentially prisons. DUP MLA Pam Cameron pressed her to condemn unlawful protests, which Long declined, citing due-process concerns.