Mediation has begun in an effort to halt spiralling tensions with loyalist paramilitary groups and fears of renewed feuding.
One man was shot and injured in east Belfast at lunchtime yesterday. Police said it was too early to link the incident with any feud but loyalist sources did link the two. The man, a father of two in his 30s, suffered a graze wound to his back as he worked at a garage in the Castlereagh Road area.
There were also concerns that a march to Belfast city centre last night to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the founding of the UVF could spark trouble. It passed off peacefully.
Details of the worsening security situation were put to members of the Policing Board by the Chief Constable yesterday. Mr Hugh Orde appealed for the retention of 1,900 officers of the full-time reserve which the Patten Report said should be phased out. PSNI resources have emerged as one of the most high-profile issues since Mr Orde succeeded Sir Ronnie Flanagan as chief constable at the beginning of the month.
Reports yesterday suggested a three-man mediation panel has been established to settle differences between the UDA and the fringe Loyalist Volunteer Force following the expulsion from the UDA this week of Mr Johnny Adair. His close associate and spokesman Mr John White, once a member of the now-defunct Ulster Democratic Party, was expelled yesterday.
Bitter divisions were exposed last week when a major drugs dealer and leading LVF member Stephen Warnock was murdered in Newtownards, Co Down. The murder was believed to have been carried out at the behest of the UDA in east Belfast after a fall out over drugs. Days later the LVF launched a retaliation strike against its leader in the area, Jim Gray.
Mr Adair's links with the LVF enraged other UDA bosses and he was thrown out, although he continues to defy the ruling. Another grouping sympathetic to the LVF and Mr Adair, the Red Hand Defenders, warned of military action over the dispute.
Loyalist tensions are adding to demands on the PSNI, which is already stretched because of Belfast's interface trouble, the loss of hundreds of experienced detectives due to Patten's severance scheme and a chronic sickness and absenteeism problem.
Mr Orde made his pitch for additional resources at the headquarters of the Policing Board in Belfast's docklands yesterday. He appealed for the retention of contracted officers who are in the full-time reserve.
Advertisements have also appeared appealing for detectives in other forces to join the PSNI. These follow the announcement of a recruitment drive earlier this week for some 1,000 civilians to take over desk and other duties. This will free officers to resume policing the streets.
The Policing Board's official response is expected at its public meeting next week.