The UK government has allocated £4m in emergency funding to the Police Service of Northern Ireland following a week of public disorder and racially motivated violence.

Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn announced the one-off package during a visit to Belfast on Thursday. The money, drawn from government reserves, will help cover overtime payments and the cost of mutual aid support, which saw 200 officers deployed from other UK forces including Police Scotland.

The disorder erupted after a knife attack in north Belfast on Monday of last week. The victim, Stephen Ogilvie, lost an eye and sustained serious wounds. A 30-year-old Sudanese national, Hadi Alodid, has been charged with attempted murder. In the days that followed, ethnic minority households were targeted in attacks on homes, businesses and vehicles, and healthcare workers faced racial abuse.

Benn described the violence as unacceptable and shameful. He said those responsible do not represent the majority of people in Northern Ireland and would face the full force of the law. Our most important duty as government is to keep the public safe, he added.

PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher welcomed the funding. He said it was absolutely essential given the force’s continuing budgetary uncertainty and would help cover the extraordinary costs of last week’s efforts to protect all communities.

Communities Minister Gordon Lyons told a Stormont committee that 115 households had sought help from the Housing Executive because of civil unrest. He said 76 presentations of homelessness had been recorded, with 38 families placed in temporary accommodation. Lyons described the targeting of people because of their skin colour as outrageous.

Ulster Unionist Party leader Jon Burrows said he had raised the funding need directly with the Secretary of State and welcomed the government’s response. He called for the money to reach the PSNI without delay.