Alliance Party Conference: The PSNI chief constable, Mr Hugh Orde, has warned that unlike last year Northern Ireland could be facing a troublesome summer marching season.
He also said Mr Gerry Adams's recent criticism about the pace of police reform did not stand up, when he addressed the Alliance party's annual conference in Dunadry, Co Antrim on Saturday.
Mr Orde said he did not wish to be alarmist about the summer parades and the attendant tensions at the nationalist-loyalist interfaces but added that he was picking "up signs we won't have such a peaceful" marching season this year.
"A huge amount of work continues with community groups, political representatives and my officers and we will do our best to keep everything on track. The longer we have the impasse the more difficult it will become," he told delegates.
He told reporters later that he was picking up from community leaders that there may be difficulties this year. "We had a good marching season last year. I am not sure we will necessarily be so lucky this year."
Mr Orde said he was disappointed at the Sinn Féin president, Mr Gerry Adams, "negative" speech last week criticising the PSNI and again called on republicans to join the Policing Board. "Sinn Féin need to engage from within rather than criticise from without," he told delegates.
Among many issues Mr Adams complained that the Special Branch remained unreformed and said plastic bullets must be banned. Mr Orde, however, when speaking at the conference and afterwards to reporters, said Mr Adams's various criticisms "fell down" when properly analysed.
He said the Special Branch was operating properly within the general force and that it was over 18 months since the PSNI last fired a plastic bullet, and that when they were used the Police Ombudsman Mrs Nuala O'Loan ruled that they were justifiably used. "She commended us for our restraint."
In his speech later on Saturday the Alliance leader, Mr David Ford, opposed the 50:50 Catholic/Protestant recruitment policy of the PSNI. Mr Orde, however, told the conference this policy must continue.
"The hard reality is that I need it," he said. "We need 50:50 for at least another five or six years. By that time I will have about 37 per cent of my officers from the Catholic community, and that probably will be critical mass." Mr Orde also returned to his regular theme that his officers couldn't operate effectively if they are expected to deal with the 1,800 unsolved murders from the Troubles.