Belfast flag protests: Youths "led by the nose" to jail 14 January 2013 Last updated at 11:43 People organising riots are leading young people "by the nose towards prison," Northern Ireland's Chief Constable Matt Baggott has said. It follows another weekend of disorder after some union flag protests. Mr Baggott defended a police operation on Saturday when a "breakaway crowd" of loyalist protesters marched past a nationalist area in east Belfast. Residents should not have been put through that. I'm sorry they were put through that trauma," he said. He warned those taking part in the riots "a knock on the door was coming." Mr Baggott said that police estimated more than 4,000 people took part in street protests on Friday across Northern Ireland. We've seen another weekend of disorder, another weekend where inevitably as the weeks unfold, young people predominantly being brought before the courts with their lives being blighted by criminal convictions End Quote Matt Baggott PSNI Chief Constable Some descended into rioting, with police attacked in Rathcoole in Newtownabbey, Carrickfergus in County Antrim and in east Belfast. Twenty-nine police officers were injured at the weekend in rioting at east Belfast's Short Strand interface. One remains in hospital. It followed a loyalist protest over the decision to restrict the flying of the union flag at Belfast City Hall. Mr Baggott said that "sweeping protesters" off the streets would not work. Even when the PSNI was 12,000 strong it would have not have been possible to take such a rigid approach towards protests. Our approach has always been to be measured and responsible - we have simply to put public safety first." he said. He said that the parades were not being properly regulated. "I want to see an absolute reassertion of the rule of law in relation to the Parades Commision's position," he said. You can't have public safety and unregulated parades - they don't go together. I want to see a total assertion again that the only way to allow peaceful protest must be through proper notification, proper planning and proper regulation and that needs to a universal voice across politics and from those who are community activists. Mr Baggott said his overwhelming sentiment and those of the vast majority of people is sadness. "Sadness that we've seen another weekend of disorder, another weekend where inevitably as the weeks unfold, young people predominantly being brought before the courts with their lives being blighted by criminal convictions," he said. Joe O'Donnell, director of the Belfast Interface Project, said keeping rival groups apart is vital, or years of cross-community work will be destroyed. "If the protests are to continue a good step would be to move them back from interface areas," Mr O'Donnell said. That would immediately start to bring a calm to the situation. It would give an opportunity for people to begin to engage, to try and talk to each other, to try and rebuild, to ease the tensions and to try and pick up the pieces. Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce is to meet later this week to discuss the effects of the ongoing protests on business. The chamber said they are causing continuing hardship for the business community. The meeting has been arranged to hear first hand from business owners. Senior leaders of a loyalist paramilitary group have said violent opposition to the union flag decision must stop. The majority of the street demonstrations have passed without incident, but some have resulted in serious rioting in which 99 police officers have been injured. To date 112 people have been arrested, of whom 85 have been charged.