Chief Constable Hugh Orde was last night (Friday) urged to "take control and apply a purge" to remove all paramilitary flags erected in towns and cities throughout Northern Ireland.
The call for a "firm stand" on the contentious issue came after police removed a number of flags representing the UVF and its youth wing, the Young Citizen Volunteers in Antrim town centre ahead of the Special Olympics.
While the move was welcomed, Catholic residents accused the police of only taking action because US athletes were to arrive in Antrim in the build-up to the sporting event.
For years loyalist paramilitary paraphernalia has been erected in mixed areas in Antrim, including the town centre, and despite a number of complaints to police they had not been removed.
Despite the removal of the UVF flags, a number of residents yesterday contacted the Irish News expressing concern that LVF flags were still flying from lamp posts along the Belfast line, a main road into Antrim.
A Catholic father-of-six, who did not want to be named, said: "When they (the police) removed the UVF flags earlier this week, they were acknowledging they were offensive and obviously didn't want US visitors to see them.
"But what about the offence caused to nationalist residents? The fact that LVF flags have not been removed from another road into town, which will probably not be used by our US visitors, says it all."
The police declined to comment any further on the issue and referred inquiries back to their original statement in which they said the removal of the UVF flags should be "welcomed by all right-thinking members of the local community regardless of the timing".
Last night SDLP representative John Dallat called on Mr Orde to have a more coordinated approach to the issue.
"Not surprisingly the decision of the PSNI to remove a few flags in Antrim town centre has focused on the need to do a 'spring clean' across the north and remove all paramilitary flags and other trappings glorifying violence and eulogising ruthless killer gangs," he said.
"When the issue was raised in Coleraine last year, I was told there were'health and safety issues which prevented the removal of LVF and UVF flags and I can only assume that concerns about falling off ladders have been overcome and we can expect a neutral environment in the future.
"For too long this issue has been in the realm of 'pass the parcel' and it is high time a firm stand was taken against those who want to live in the past."
"The police in Antrim have indeed taken a very positive step while their colleagues in the North West are arguing that this is a community issue."
"Hugh Orde needs to take control of this matter and apply a purge across the region."
Last night South Antrim MP David Burnside said: "The issue of flags are very sensitive. I would encourage the police to do it in cooperation with local communities."
