Brian McCargo, OBE

Order of the British Empire

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...

, QPM

Queen's Police Medal

The Queen's Police Medal is awarded to police officers in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth for gallantry or distinguished service. Recipients may use the post-nominal letters "QPM", although the right to use these was only granted officially on 20 July 1969...

 is a retired Chief Superintendent

Chief Superintendent

Chief superintendent is a senior rank in police forces organised on the British model.- United Kingdom :In the British police, a chief superintendent is senior to a superintendent and junior to an assistant chief constable .The highest rank below Chief Officer level, chief...

 with the Royal Ulster Constabulary

Royal Ulster Constabulary

The Royal Ulster Constabulary was the name of the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2000. Following the awarding of the George Cross in 2000, it was subsequently known as the Royal Ulster Constabulary GC. It was founded on 1 June 1922 out of the Royal Irish Constabulary...

.

A Roman Catholic native of the nationalist Ardoyne

Ardoyne

Ardoyne is an Irish nationalist, working class and mainly Catholic district in north Belfast, Northern Ireland. It gained notoriety due to the large number of incidents during "The Troubles". It is home to approximately 20,000 inhabitants...

 district of Belfast

Belfast

Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...

, McCargo was quoted as saying, "I had to leave my home in the Ardoyne, put my life and my family's at risk, but I have absolutely no regrets about joining the Royal Ulster Constabulary". Heavily involved with the Gaelic Athletic Association

Gaelic Athletic Association

The Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...

, when he joined the RUC he was forced to sever his links under the GAA's controversial Rule 21

Rule 21

Rule 21 of the Gaelic Athletic Association banned members of the British occupational forces and the former Royal Ulster Constabulary from participating in Gaelic games....

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He was awarded the Queen's Police Medal

Queen's Police Medal

The Queen's Police Medal is awarded to police officers in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth for gallantry or distinguished service. Recipients may use the post-nominal letters "QPM", although the right to use these was only granted officially on 20 July 1969...

 (QPM) in the Queen's Birthday Honours List of 1998. He is currently the chairman and regional director of Special Olympics

Special Olympics

Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and competitions to more than 3.1 million athletes in 175 countries....

 Northern Ireland. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours for his services to sport.