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Cost of Policing Drumcree Dispute £3m so Far, Says Chief Constable

Jon Boutcher said officers judged forcing the parade could have caused serious harm, while the Policing Board opened a conduct probe into a Sinn Féin member.

  • Chief Constable Jon Boutcher told the Northern Ireland Policing Board on Thursday the Drumcree operation has cost £3 million, describing the situation in Portadown as "remaining challenging and complex."
  • The bitter dispute entered its fifth day after the Parades Commission granted the Portadown Orange Order permission to march along the nationalist Garvaghy Road, though a protest blocked the route.
  • Boutcher warned that forcing an Orange Order march down the route "could be catastrophic" for Northern Ireland, stating police must preserve peace rather than accommodate the march at all costs.
  • Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Chris Bryant returned to the region on Thursday to resume talks, though DUP MP Carla Lockhart said the proposed deal was "not acceptable" to the Orangemen.
  • The Garvaghy Road Residents Coalition faces a court challenge on Friday, while the Policing Board launched a code-of-conduct investigation into Sinn Féin member Deirdre Hargey over her protest attendance.
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Cost of policing Drumcree dispute £3m so far, says chief constable

Chief Constable Jon Boutcher answered questions at the Policing Board on day five of the parading dispute.

·London, United Kingdom
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Irish Times broke the news in Dublin, Ireland on Thursday, October 1, 2026.
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