Ulster Unionist Party leader Jon Burrows has called on the UK Government to pick up the full policing bill for Drumcree, after the PSNI told the Policing Board the operation has already cost around £3 million.
In a statement on Thursday, Mr Burrows said he had written to Secretary of State Sir Chris Bryant seeking “full cost recovery for all additional costs connected to Drumcree, including mutual aid, operational expenditure and the criminal investigation that follows”.
He warned that the exceptional costs of policing the ongoing stand‑off in Portadown must not be allowed to drain resources from other serious crime investigations across Northern Ireland.
“The Policing Board was told today that the Drumcree operation has already cost around £3 million, and with the operation continuing that figure may rise further,” he said.
“These are exceptional costs and they must not be absorbed within the PSNI’s existing budget.
“Northern Ireland faces serious policing challenges every day: terrorism, organised crime, violence against women and girls, serious sexual offences, child abuse. Behind every one of those investigations is a person who needs protection, support and justice. They must not face longer waits or reduced protection because resources have been diverted to Drumcree.”
Mr Burrows also highlighted the PSNI’s ongoing “large scale” criminal investigation into alleged law‑breaking linked to the Drumcree crisis – including by “senior Sinn Féin politicians and others” – which Chief Constable Jon Boutcher has already said will be prioritised.
“I am also conscious that the investigation into alleged law breaking by senior Sinn Féin politicians and others could be protracted and costly,” the UUP leader said.
“It must be properly resourced so that every relevant line of evidence can be pursued thoroughly, impartially and without fear or favour, whatever position those involved hold.
“That investigation must neither be constrained by a lack of funding nor drain resources away from other victims awaiting justice.”
Reiterating his appeal for Treasury support, he added: “Whatever the eventual resolution at Drumcree, victims of serious crime elsewhere in Northern Ireland must not be the ones who pay for it.”
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