While celebrating it’s 100-year anniversary, An Garda Síochána (“The Guardians of the Peace” in Irish) takes a look back at its story and how it came into being as the unitary police and national security service of Ireland. At this important milestone, the organization is reflecting on lessons learned along the way and the many aspects the organization is particularly proud of. With a mission of “Keeping People Safe,” the organization has a cherished model of unarmed, bespoke local community policing, considered a key enabler to delivering high levels of public confidence.

At a time when society is witnessing a legitimacy crisis unfold across policing and law enforcement internationally, An Garda Síochána is resolute to sustaining legitimacy and building even greater levels of public confidence in a rapidly changing social landscape. As law enforcement worldwide knows, such trust is precious and can never be taken for granted; it is hard earned and far too easy to lose. An Garda Síochána is also currently engaged in a Horizon Scanning exercise, looking out to the next centenary. At the highest level, it is clear that the world will continue to be even more connected and there will be ever-evolving crime types that defy traditional physical boundaries along with new vulnerabilities to plan for. Despite nearing the final stages of a fundamental change program—A Policing Service for the Future—An Garda Síochána recognizes this is only the beginning. Police need to be agile and constantly evolving to remain relevant. Building on learnings that include two culture audits, An Garda Síochána is in the process of developing a cultural change framework, a step-by-step guide to assist global police and law enforcement leaders to lead their organizations through cultural change, critically viewed to be one of the most challenging types of change to effect. Furthermore, An Garda Síochána is midway through developing an international professional network of policing and law enforcement personnel engaged in cultural change. This effort kicked off in August 2022, when the International Association of Chiefs of Police brought together experts from nine international police agencies in Dublin, Ireland, for a three-day workshop to share best practices in culture change and police legitimacy. A number of the approaches discussed have been adopted by An Garda Síochána to embed building blocks integral to sustaining legitimacy and increasing public confidence from the perspective of people and culture. While there are too many themes to outline in the confines of this article, the following are several key initiatives that can be adapted to work in agencies around the globe.