THE intimidation which drove Catholic families from their homes in a south Belfast shared housing development is a "failure of policy, of politics and practice by public agencies", according to the chair of the Community Relations Council.
Peter Osborne was speaking more than a week after four families fled Cantrell Close following loyalist paramilitary threats.
The `shared housing' estate was a flagship project by the government aimed at improving community relations.
Chief Constable George Hamilton said members of the UVF are behind the intimidation, saying they were "using the guise" of the organisation to force Catholics out of the area.
Party leaders issued a joint statement last week condemning the threats.
Mr Osborne said is was "absolutely appalling that in this day and age, 20 years after the agreement, 20 years and more after the ceasefires, that families have been intimidated out of living in any area, but especially in a shared housing area".
"I think you have to say this has been a failure of policy, of politics and practice by public agencies to look after the interests of people living in this area," he told BBC NI's Sunday Politics programme.
"It's a failure of policy because this sort of shared housing area is still the exception, not the rule. It's a failure of politics, because the response hasn't been adequate over the last number of months."
Mr Osborne said there are "clear laws" that should have led to loyalists flags being removed as soon as they were erected in June".
"We need to lower our threshold in this society of tolerance of people undertaking illegal or unlawful activity," he said.
