The UUP's Michael Copeland has called for the Parades Commission to be scrapped, claiming the agency had caused more problems than it had solved.

The East Belfast assembly member made his comments following Chief Constable Hugh Orde appearance at a meeting of the Policing Board yesterday. Mr Orde told the board that the Parades Commission should be able to make determinations on parade supporters.

Mr Copeland said: "Bouncing from summer to summer with the potential for community confrontation simply cannot go on. The Parades Commission's actions and determinations this summer, as in past, far from helping to defuse tensions, have actively heightened them and exacerbated fragile community relations."

He went on to say that the blueprint for an impartial board was being endangered – as ruling on parade supporters would inevitably have political implications.

"Targeting parade supporters for special treatment as Hugh Orde is suggesting will only further the perception in Unionist and Loyalist eyes that the Parades Commission is strongly biased against any vestige, celebration or articulation of protestant culture, especially given the fact that no similar suggestion is directed toward those who organise counter-demonstrations which are motivated solely by territorial greed and political expediency," he added.

Mr Copeland went to re-issue the UUP's call for the Parades Commission to be scrapped and for it to be replaced with a "fair and impartial rights-based determining body".

However, Sinn Féin's spokesperson for policing and justice, Gerry Kelly, criticised the police for their interpretation of the court ruling distinguishing supporters from marchers.

Demanding a review of the ruling, the North Belfast MLA said that Hugh Orde had "deliberately exploited" the ruling in order to force 200 loyalists through the nationalist community of Ardoyne and Mountainview.

“What we need to see is the legislation enacted to prevent the PSNI abusing the present legislation for their own sectarian purposes," he said.

"The Parades Commission legislation should be clear and unambiguous covering both marches and their supporters."

He added: “This is the only sensible way forward given the disastrous record of partisan decisions by the PSNI in relation to forcing loyal order marches through nationalist communities.”

(gmcg)