Violence at last Friday's "Tour of the North" Orange parade in Belfast should act as a wake-up call for the rest of the marching season, the PSNI chief constable has warned.
Hugh Orde pressed all sides in contentious marching situations to engage each other directly. The Orange Order refuses to engage directly with residents' groups and has demanded the resignation of the Parades Commission.
Responding to Friday's violence, Sir Hugh said: "The solution to this is not a police solution. The solution to this is the two communities speaking to each other, engaging and coming together with different perspectives on what people should be allowed to do." He said that no one he had spoken to wanted a violent summer.
"We have moved on from that. Last year we had an hour and a half of extreme violence [ in Ardoyne]. But apart from that, the majority of the parades went off peacefully."
His comments followed attacks by protesters on bandsmen, marchers and supporters of three north Belfast lodges as they were pushed through Ardoyne by the PSNI under the terms of a ruling by the Parades Commission.
Sir Hugh said those engaged in the violence were mostly between 12 and 15 years old. Senior members of Sinn Féin, residents' "marshalls" and others, including local clergy, tried to stop teenage boys from throwing missiles at police officers and those involved in the parade.
Despite their efforts, Chief Supt Mike Little said his officers had come under "sustained attack".
Civilians and police officers were hurt and bottles, stones and other missiles were thrown. The sporadic unrest lasted about 30 minutes.
There were further clashes between police and protesters after the marchers and supporters had passed Ardoyne and water cannons were deployed. Six petrol bombs were then thrown, according to one report.
The police say they will examine CCTV evidence taken by fixed and hand-held cameras.
Responding to the chief constable's comments, SDLP South Belfast MP Alasdair McDonnell said: "The PSNI have an obligation to ensure that all parades are policed properly and effectively but the real obligation is on the Orange Order to comply with the rule of law on parades. They must accept the determination of the Parades Commission and demonstrate for once that they are committed to the best interests of the entire community." The party has also called for Saturday's Whiterock parade in west Belfast to be rerouted.
The Tour of the North march was the first to come under new legislation empowering the Parades Commission to rule on the conduct of march supporters and protesters as well as bandsmen and marchers.