An Garda Síochána is introducing two different cap options – a soft baseball cap and a ‘bump stop’ cap – as part of a pilot programme in three areas.

More than 100 gardaí in Bantry in Cork, Ballinasloe in Galway, and Terenure in Dublin will sport the new caps for a period of two weeks each.

After four weeks, a survey will be conducted among members of the force to gauge the success of the pilot programme.

But before gardaí consider adding the new caps to the official uniform, they will be asking the public for their opinions on the new accessories.

“One element of the survey will be to capture any public commentary on the caps. The feedback of the associations will also be obtained,” a garda spokesperson said.

The caps have failed to win the hearts of social media’s budding fashion critics however, with some poking fun at the casual headwear by comparing it to “a discount store Dublin GAA rip-off”.

“Ready to coach the under 5s Gaelic team,” one person joked.

Another said: “They are terrible, why would anyone think that an American baseball style hat is appropriate head gear for the Garda.”

A third wrote: “God this looks so cheap! The current Garda hats look very smart and distinctive!”

“What’s next? Garda sliders” a fourth chimed in.

Stylist Laura Mullett also weighed in on the potential uniform transformation, joking that the caps will make gardaí “blend in at festivals”.

However, she said that while she prefers the peak cap over the softer bump stop cap as it has “more polish to it”, she’s still unsure about the style switch as a whole.

“Of course, baseball style peaked hats have their practical functions, but personally I think a cap with more formality ties in better with the uniform,” she told the Sunday World.