def get_implementation(cls, force: bool = False) -> AxesHandler:
        """
        Fetch and initialize configured handler implementation and memoize it to avoid reinitialization.

        This method is re-entrant and can be called multiple times from e.g. Django application loader.
        """

        if force or not cls.implementation:
            cls.implementation = import_string(settings.AXES_HANDLER)()
        return cls.implementation