Scarce - Royal Ulster Constabulary/PSNI Cap Service Irish Police Service Cap cap in dark green Sizes available from 53 to 55cm Condition All good used condition, but vary. In worn condition and may have previous owners details on them. I have described theses as RUC/PSNI as they are almost indistinguishable from each other in design and colour, however the buttons attaching the chin strap do differ. If the cap is RUC issue these buttons would be metal with the words Royal Ulster Constabulary written on them OR a simple speckled pattern in black. These hats mostly have buttons that are marked with an “X” and those buttons were introduced when the PSNI replaced the RUC in November 2001. (SEE LAST PHOTOS) The Royal Ulster Constabulary were loved and loathed depending on your viewpoint, and this is a true piece of history in superb condition, no matter your feelings. The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) was the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001. It was founded on 1 June 1922 as a successor to the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC)[1] following the partition of Ireland. At its peak the force had around 8,500 officers with a further 4,500 who were members of the RUC Reserve. The RUC policed Northern Ireland during the aftermath of the Irish War of Independence, the Second World War, the Irish Republican Army's (IRA) Northern Campaign (1942–44) and Border Campaign (1956–62), and throughout the Troubles (1960s–1990s). Due to the threat from the IRA, who saw the RUC as enforcing British rule, the RUC was an armed and militarised police force. Officers routinely carried submachine guns and assault rifles, travelled in armoured Land Rovers, and were based in heavily-fortified police stations.[2] It was the first police force to use rubber and plastic bullets for riot control. The RUC's membership was overwhelmingly Protestant and it was accused by sections of the Catholic and Irish nationalist minority of one-sided policing and sectarianism. Officers were also accused of police brutality as well as collusion with loyalist paramilitaries.[3][4] Conversely, it was praised as one of the most professional police forces in the world by British security forces. The RUC was superseded by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) in 2001. The former police force was renamed and reformed, as is provided for by the final version of the Police (Northern Ireland) Act