The North's Police Federation has reacted angrily to comments by the Policing Board's vice-chairman, Mr Denis Bradley, that police were not doing enough to prevent loyalist attacks in Belfast.
Following the fatal shooting of 19-year-old Gerard Lawlor by the Ulster Freedom Fighters on early on Monday morning, Mr Bradley said he felt there was not an adequate police response to protect vulnerable communities.
"As someone who comes from the nationalist community, I should interpret to all the people in Northern Ireland that there is within the nationalist people a certain anger. There has not been enough done by the police and the security situation to actually protect, take on and deal - in whatever appropriate manner - with people like the UDA who are not necessarily doing any of this for political reasons," he added.
Mr Terry Spence, the assistant secretary of the Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers across the North, said he had received numerous calls from members protesting at Mr Bradley's remarks. In an open letter to the board's vice-chairman, Mr Spence said police officers had displayed great courage and determination to maintain the peace in interface areas and accused Mr Bradley of lowering morale.
"At a time of low morale within the Police Service of Northern Ireland, I consider your comments most unhelpful and I believe it is incumbent on all representatives within society, and in particular members of the Policing Board, to show their support for the police at this critical time," he wrote.
Although not directly commenting on Mr Bradley's remarks, an SDLP member of the Policing Board, Mr Alex Attwood, said the protection of vulnerable nationalist communities and the prosecution of leading loyalists needed to be pursued by police "with further vigour and effect".
A DUP member of the board, Mr Sammy Wilson, accused Mr Bradley of undermining the police and "pandering to the worst elements of republicanism".
"It is ironic that Denis Bradley is accusing the police of not doing enough against terrorists when not so long ago he was advocating that the police should be admitting terrorists into the ranks," he added.
Mr Bradley was "missing the point", a north Belfast Sinn Féin councillor, Mr Eoin O'Broin, stated. "Nationalists are not confident that the PSNI or Special Branch are able or willing to stop the loyalist campaign. If anything, many nationalists believe that the PSNI is more interested in demonising nationalist communities."
Mr Bradley condemned an explosion at the estate of Viscount Brookeborough, a fellow member of the Policing Board. Sinn Féin also condemned the attack, saying it "offered nothing".
Meanwhile, ICTU has called on Belfast City Council to stage a major rally against sectarianism and violence in the city.