The Police Service of Northern Ireland has announced it will treat the loyalist union flags in mixed area in Belfast as a breach of peace.
In a statement to the BBC, the PSNI said that tensions were ‘particularly heightened’ in Ballynafeigh, south Belfast, by the erection of British flags.
"As a result, police have directed that any future erection of flags on this part of the Ormeau Road will be treated as a breach of the peace. Community representatives have been spoken to and advised of this," the statement said.
Sinn Féin assembly member Alex Maskey, who led discussions with the PSNI, said that the police brought themselves into disrepute, as they watched the flags being put up.
"Police officers did see and did stand by when people were putting flags up and I certainly don't want to see that repeated again because the PSNI themselves have brought themselves into disrepute because of their behaviour around the flags.
"I've discussed it with their senior leadership team in south and east Belfast and I think we've got a better understanding of what needs to happen in the future.
"People who put those flags up in some cases had a lot of drink taken on them.
"They abused local residents who were going and appealing to them not to be putting the flags up in the way in which they were doing, right up as far as Ravenhill roundabout past the church, past the chapel.
"So residents were abused and police officers, for the most part, really did nothing and I don't think that's good enough and I've raised that with them and as I've said I think we've come to a better understanding with them which we will test in due course,
"It is in and around the fact that given the residential character of that particular part of Ballynafeigh, for example, the demographic change in that area is quite stark.
"The vast majority of people who live there would have no hesitation of trying to tolerate, if you like, union flags being flown if they're being flown for a shorter period of time in a respectful manner but that clearly has not been the case, so therefore I think most people in that area want to see all flags removed.
"But the PSNI, in my opinion, will in future have to adopt a position where, if someone is putting a flag up there with no recourse to talking to the local community, that would be seen as a breach of the peace because they actually are very much in danger of causing public disorder."
Ballynafeigh used to be a unionist stronghold in south Belfast, according to the BBC, but census data shows that 57% of the people who live there now are Catholics, while 27% are Protestant.
In the same census, 36% of the population in Ballynafeigh described themselves as Irish, 32% said they were British, and 29% described themselves as Northern Irish.