Policing first days of race-related Northern Ireland disorder cost almost £1.5m

Almost £1.5m - that is how much it cost to police the first days of race-related disorder on the streets of Northern Ireland.

And the bill is still rising with the PSNI in mobilisation mode – meaning they remain ready to act should trouble again flare up.

"One of the big things talked about earlier in the year was the police response to the amount of people being killed or seriously injured on our roads," says Liam Kelly from the Police Federation.

"So could that money be used to put more roads policing crews out? Absolutely."

Protests, sporadic rioting, the targeting of homes and businesses in various locations across Belfast stretching police.

The nine-day policing bill a snapshot but an insight on top of an already well-documented funding crisis.

All areas impacted appear to have returned to normal but tensions remain.

While we were filming one man on a bike shouted at us "they should go back to their own country".

But many others very angry money has gone down the drain trying to keep people safe from those bent on causing trouble on the streets

"It costs an awful lot of money to police," one man said.

"But sure how are you going to recoup that? You just can't. It's all education, people need to be told that everybody can live, but that's not the way it goes here, is it?"

The nine-day policing bill doesn’t cover the cost of those extra 80 officers brought in from Scotland to help out here.

They officially start duties tomorrow.

The police budget already under huge strain with most of it taken up with salaries.

Back in July police received just £23 million out of more than £300m requested in the June monitoring round.

Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said policing here is in a "really tough place" and lags behind the rest of the UK in terms of budget increases.

Meanwhile, the crackdown against those involved in the recent rioting, including that in Londonderry on Saturday in the Bogside, continues.

Thirty-nine people have so far been arrested and 30 have been charged.

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