A new offensive is starting in the North today against the flying of paramilitary flags.
An agreement between the PSNI and British government departments also involves limiting popular flag flying limited to certain dates, with displays for cultural festivals facing time restrictions as well.
PSNI assistant chief constables Duncan McCausland and Peter Sheridan
The PSNI assistant chief constables for urban and rural regions - Duncan McCausland and Peter Sheridan - accepted they were dealing with an emotive issue.
In a statement they said: "The use of flags in instances such as a celebration of festivity is normally not an issue, however the display of flags to mark out geographical areas or to promote sectarianism or intimidation is wholly unacceptable in a peaceful and tolerant society.
"Over the past year we have been proactively encouraging the removal of such flags through a process of consultation, negotiation and enforcement."
"Community support for this initiative has been very positive and as a result we have seen a reduction in the number of flags flown but the police cannot do this alone," the statement said.
The protocol sets out an agreed partnership and covers a range of areas including aims, core principles, key responsibilities, information exchange and measuring success.