Editing Royal Ulster Constabulary (section)

==Awards==
Awards for gallantry for individual officers since 1969 included 16 [[George Medal]]s, 103 [[Queen's Gallantry Medal]]s, 111 [[Queen's Commendation for Bravery|Queen's Commendations for Bravery]] and 69 [[Queen's Police Medal]]s.<ref>[http://www.royalulsterconstabulary.org/awards.htm RUC awards] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100102064045/http://www.royalulsterconstabulary.org/awards.htm |date=2 January 2010 }}, royalulsterconstabulary.org; accessed 21 February 2014.</ref>
On 12 April 2000, the RUC was awarded the [[George Cross]] for bravery,<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/12/newsid_2478000/2478009.stm Queen honours NI police] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080307134720/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/12/newsid_2478000/2478009.stm |date=7 March 2008 }}, BBC.co.uk; accessed 21 February 2014.</ref> a rare honour which had been [[George Cross#Collective awards|awarded collectively]] only once before, to the island nation of [[Malta]]. The Award stated:<blockquote>For the past 30 years, the Royal Ulster Constabulary has been the bulwark against, and the main target of, a sustained and brutal terrorism campaign. The Force has suffered heavily in protecting both sides of the community from danger – 302 officers have been killed in the line of duty and thousands more injured, many seriously. Many officers have been ostracised by their own community and others have been forced to leave their homes in the face of threats to them and their families. As Northern Ireland reaches a turning point in its political development this award is made to recognise the collective courage and dedication to duty of all of those who have served in the Royal Ulster Constabulary and who have accepted the danger and stress this has brought to them and to their families.<ref name=turner-p165>{{cite book|last1=Turner|first1=John Frayn|work=Awards of the George Cross 1940–2009|title=Royal Ulster Constabulary|date=2010|publisher=[[Pen & Sword Books Ltd]]|isbn=978-1-84884-200-7|page=165|edition=2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m7aZFx_RW-kC&pg=PA165|access-date=21 October 2019|archive-date=23 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210923122010/https://books.google.com/books?id=m7aZFx_RW-kC&pg=PA165|url-status=live}}</ref></blockquote>