The cost of policing parades in Northern Ireland was £5m last year, the Chief Constable has revealed.
Sir Hugh Orde told the Policing Board on Thursday that contentious marches with a high threat of disorder divert tens of thousands of pounds of PSNI resources from other frontline services.
It is understood the cost of policing last weekend's Whiterock parade in north Belfast alone was in excess of £100,000.
Orde said that the overall bill for the marching season would remain significant unless more was done to reach accommodation between communities ahead of the events.
"That's a substantial cost in terms of what we could've done with £5m for community policing and in terms of dealing with crime levels - which is exactly what communities talk to me about."
Paying tribute to those who had ensured parades so far this year had passed off without major incident, Orde stressed the importance of reaching agreements throughout the summer.
'Phenomenal'
After the meeting, SDLP Policing Board member Dolores Kelly expressed concern at the £5m spend on parading: "This is a phenomenal slice taken from frontline security expenditure that could and should have been spent on tackling the crime that is crippling our community."
The Upper Bann representative also said the figure was a direct result of Government inaction on a strategy to enhance community cohesion and integration.
Board members also raised concerns about the continuing tensions around the issues of flags in areas across Northern Ireland.
Sir Hugh agreed with calls from some members for a review of parading and flags issues at the end of summer to try to come up with a way to reduce tensions and ensure less police time is taken up managing them.
But he said it was the responsibility of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister to take the lead on the issue.
Meanwhile, the Policing Board announced that five candidates had been shortlisted in the race to succeed Sir Hugh Orde.
Board chair Barry Gilligan said: "The Board is very pleased with the level of interest shown and the high calibre of the candidates for the Chief Constable's post and looks forward to interviews in August."
© Press Association