'It's giving street style'... Gardai head out on the beat with distinctive new look

From today, you might spot one or two changes to members on An Garda Siochana as they take to the streets.

It may not be the ideal day for any sort of hat with Storm Éowyn, but for over 14,000 members of the gardaí, they’ll be hanging on to their new baseball caps.

From today, all sergeants, inspectors and rank and file gardaí will wear a baseball cap on operational duties.

The new cap will replace the traditional peaked cap which gardaí had worn since the foundation of the State but which they say had become "quite outdated, cumbersome and impractical."

The new caps are dark blue with the garda crest in gold on the front.

They are the final addition to the multi-million euro upgrade to the garda uniform over the past three years.

GRA President Mark O’Meara said the new uniform, now with the new cap, "moves with the times and brings us into line with many of our counterparts in other European jurisdictions."

"Some specialist units like the Garda Public Order Unit already wear baseball caps, and now we’ve worked together to introduce a new cap that we will wear when we are all out on operational duties.

A Garda facebook post said:

"Modern policing is more complex than ever before and while responding to fast-paced, evolving and dynamic situations, the cap could be cumbersome and was prone to getting knocked off.

"We’ve introduced this new gilet too which will be worn either as a layer if on outdoor operational duty, or as outer wear when indoors like back at the station."

"It’s giving street style."