The chairman of the Northern Ireland Police Authority has warned that the RUC does not have enough money to police the North and cope with violence at Drumcree this year, without having to introduce cutbacks to policing outside Portadown.
Mr Pat Armstrong said that he and the RUC Chief Constable, Sir Ronnie Flanagan, had warned the British government "that we simply do not have enough money in the budget to adequately police Northern Ireland and handle a repeat of last year's violence".
The authority chairman said the costs of policing the Drumcree standoff last July "and other contentious parades and associated parades and the ongoing terrorist activity placed huge financial pressures on the authority and the police budget".
He appealed to the public to support the police's efforts in the run-up to the marching season, warning that the RUC might have to introduce cutbacks to policing if violence flared again in Portadown.
Mr Armstrong warned that if violence flared again in Drumcree the police and the authority would endeavour to maintain law and order and protect life and property "but will be forced to submit a fresh bid to the Northern Ireland Office for extra cash to meet any shortfall or else face having to make significant cuts to an already tight budget for the police service".
Last year's protests and violence cost the authority £14 million from its policing budget - £3 million more than had been estimated - with funds being redirected to help police enforce the Parades Commission's ban on Orangemen from marching down the nationalist Garvaghy Road last July.
Overtime, which amounted to 28,000 hours, transport and catering costs, accounted for the increase last July. The bill was £8.5 million.
"We all have a part to play in finding a solution to the parades issue and we must all be very aware of the serious consequences the entire community will face if no agreement is reached," said Mr Armstrong.
"We all have a duty to support the police in their difficult task, and I call on all those in positions of influence to do all they can to build confidence and reduce community tension."
He made the appeal after a meeting with the Chief Constable and the Parades Commission, and three weeks before the Parades Commission gives its ruling as to whether Orangemen can march down the Garvaghy Road at Drumcree on July 4th.
Mr Armstrong also expressed concern that officers had come under attack during recent contentious marches, saying the next few weeks were a time to develop trust. "Police officers have a duty to protect life and property and their task is only hampered if they are attacked or they fear that their homes and families will be targeted," he added.