The Chief Constable of the PSNI has warned that the public should be worried by a decision by the Stormont Executive not to fund a five-year recovery plan for the force.
The union that represents rank and file police officers in Northern Ireland earlier accused politicians at Stormont of not giving a damn about policing.
The £200 million (€176m) plan included the recruitment of hundreds of new officers to increase its headcount to 7,000 by 2028.
PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher submitted the plan to Stormont after warning that the current number of officers, just over 6,200, is insufficient to keep the public safe.
Addressing the annual conference of the Police Federation for Northern Ireland, its chair Liam Kelly revealed Mr Boutcher was recently informed that his plan cannot be funded.
"To say there is disappointment would be a gross understatement," he told delegates.
Watch: Police Federation for Northern Ireland's chair calls decision a 'slap in the face'
Mr Kelly said it "would be more accurate" to say the federation "is appalled by this decision".
"It is a slap in the face to our officers," he said.
The number of police officers in Northern Ireland fell by 172 to a total of 6,224 during the past year.
Mr Kelly referred to independent research, commissioned by the PSNI last year, which recommended that it needs up to 8,500 officers to reflect Northern Ireland's rising population.
"Right now, we're 2,276 shy of that and nobody in government seems to care or give a damn," he said.
The federation chair said the decision not to fund the plan would have an inevitable impact on the PSNI resources and services, describing it as "ruinous for policing".
He praised Mr Boutcher, who was in the audience, for doing all he could "to convince, persuade, cajole and even embarrass our administration to provide him with the finances he requires to do the job".
Stormont's Minister of Justice Naomi Long was due to attend the conference but pulled out shortly before it began due to illness.
A senior civil servant delivered her speech, assuring delegates that the minister is fighting their corner.
Speaking afterwards, the PSNI’s Chief Constable said members of the public should be worried if the funding is not forthcoming.
"I’d be worried as citizens," he said.
"We are in a dire situation," he added.
Mr Boutcher said Northern Ireland has "gone past any rubicon of where we might have been able to manage, there are situations where we can’t keep people safe".
"It wouldn’t be the same anywhere else on the United Kingdom," he said.
"There is a point in time where you have to literally say, that’s enough and it’s enough," he added.
Mr Kelly also told the conference there is something odd about the way policing in Northern Ireland is treated in comparison to the situation in England and Wales, where the British Government last year announced £200m funding to create 3,000 new posts.
The Police Federation for Northern Ireland’s chair appealed to the Stormont Executive to change course and provide the funding, claiming the PSNI is "at breaking point" and in need of a lifeline.
