One of Northern Ireland's leading police officers must be held accountable for his handling of the security operation during Orange Order parades in Belfast, Sinn Fein has insisted.

On Tuesday, the republican party criticised Assistant Chief Constable Alan McQuillan for the way in which the Twelfth parade in Ardoyne was conducted last Friday.

It said Mr McQuillan, who is the city's most senior officer, should explain the tactics behind the operation to the Policing Board.

There were some minor disturbances as the parade passed through a disputed route in Ardoyne, with bottles and stones thrown after loyalist supporters accompanying the Orange lodges and bands taunted a large crowd of nationalist protesters.

Alan McQuillan: Senior officer

Mr McQuillan said senior republicans had stopped violence during the parade.

However, prior to the parade the officer said republicans were planning a large-scale riot in Ardoyne and had been preparing petrol and acid bombs. His remarks were criticised by Sinn Fein.

Speaking on Tuesday, party chairman Mitchel McLaughlin said: "It was demonstrated that the police had taken anti-burglar devices from the rooftops of shops in Ardoyne.

"They are still visible and people can see what we are talking about. They removed them and then produced them at a subsequent press conference.

"Empty beer bottles from the back of a local public house - Alan McQuillan should be asked where he found those bottles and he should be made to account, in my view, by the Police Board."

'Reasonable person'

Ulster Unionist Policing Board member Fred Cobain met Mr McQuillan at Castlereagh Police Station on Tuesday.

Afterwards, the assembly member said the police had video evidence that republicans were planning a major incident on Friday.

Sinn Fein's Gerry Kelly and local police chief supervised earlier protest

"There is physical evidence - there is certainly video evidence - of what went on in Ardoyne last week," he said.

"I think that any reasonable person looking at that evidence will come to the same conclusions as Alan McQuillan did - that the Provisional IRA were intent on having a major incident in north Belfast which could have had serious consequences for this whole process."

Following a parade in west Belfast on Friday, 20 police officers were injured during violent clashes.

The officers were injured by missiles hurled by nationalist demonstrators.

Up to 100 petrol bombs were thrown and police fired more than 20 baton rounds.