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| Union flag dispute: Cost of policing protests exceeds £15m | Union flag dispute: Cost of policing protests exceeds £15m |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| The cost of policing the union flag protests in Northern Ireland over the past nine weeks has exceeded £15m, the PSNI chief constable has confirmed. | The cost of policing the union flag protests in Northern Ireland over the past nine weeks has exceeded £15m, the PSNI chief constable has confirmed. |
| Matt Baggott revealed the latest figure at a meeting of the Northern Ireland Policing Board (NIPB) on Thursday. | |
| He said the cost included duty pay and overtime pay to officers and staff. | |
| The protests began on 3 December, when Belfast City Council voted to restrict the number of days the flag is flown at the city hall. | The protests began on 3 December, when Belfast City Council voted to restrict the number of days the flag is flown at the city hall. |
| The majority have passed without incident but some have ended in riots. | The majority have passed without incident but some have ended in riots. |
| Addressing a public meeting of the NIPB, Mr Baggott said: "The cost of policing the recent protests and disorder has come at a high cost to policing both in terms of human cost and financial costs." | |
| The chief constable told the board 146 police officers had been injured in the violence to date, although "fortunately none seriously," he added. | |
| "Serious violence has, in the main, been contained in a few locations thanks to the courage and professionalism of my colleagues," Mr Baggott said. |