A decision by unionists to boycott the Belfast District Policing Partnership over police handling of loyalist street violence, has been condemned as 'disappointing and shameful.'
Naomi Long, an Alliance Party representative on the policing forum was critical of the move.
"I'm absolutely dumbfounded by the lack of leadership and integrity we are seeing within unionism in the face of some of the most serious rioting and disorder we have seen in recent days," she said.
Naomi Long, an Alliance Party representative
"When push comes to shove, the commitment of unionist politicians to the defence of police and the rule of law and order is just tactical and superficial. It's skin deep," she added.
The North and West Belfast Parades and Cultural Forum said unionists were withdrawing from the partnership claiming the police relationship with the community had broken down. They also accused senior PSNI officers of "intransigence."
District Policing Partnerships are locally-appointed bodies which liaise with police district commanders on community policing issues.
A burning lorry blocks a road on the West Circular Road in West Belfast yesterday
The unionist move came as loyalist mobs attacked police and had to be repelled with water cannon after the PSNI cleared illegal protests off roads in Belfast last night.
Main thoroughfares in Belfast were blocked by placard-waving crowds who succeeded in blocking the Westlink which connects the North's principal motorways before the PSNI moved in to keep the roads open.
A car was seized and set on fire and one person arrested for hijacking before calm was later restored. Earlier, four people were arrested as police cleared protesters off main roads during the disorder, which has flared nearly every night since last Saturday's controversially re-routed Orange Order Whiterock march in west Belfast.
The city's senior police commander, Assistant Chief Constable Duncan McCausland, said he was determined to keep main routes open.
As a special operation was mounted, protesters were back on the streets and a number of vehicles were hijacked and burned in parts of north and west Belfast.
Many of the protests were mounted peacefully by women and children and Mr McCausland said he had a difficult balancing act to carry out.
"Our key aim is to keep the life blood of the city open." But he added: "I have clear indications that if I move against women and children, paramilitaries or other organisations in the community may come out against me and my officers.
"I have to balance that and make a decision in terms of maintaining law and order and the peace of this community - but I intend to keep the roads open as much as possible."