BASEBALL CAPS are being trialled as part of the new garda uniform in three stations to see whether or not they will become a permanent fixture. 

Gardaí taking part in the pilot will be trying out two different styles – a soft baseball cap and a ‘bump stop cap’. 

The three stations taking part are Ballinasloe and Bantry in Co Cork, and Terenure in Dublin. 

The baseball caps could mark the end of the traditional peaked cap which has been worn by Gardaí for many years. 

The new uniform rolled out last year was only the third time in the history of the force that the garda uniform has been changed. 

When the new uniform was being announced, a garda spokesperson said that traditional garda caps were being kept the same as a “unique and distinctive” element of the garda uniform. 

Whether that will be the case in future remains to be seen, and will depend on feedback from gardaí taking part in the pilot scheme, and the input of garda leadership. 

The updated uniform was a key recommendation within the report on the Future of Policing in Ireland.