Irish society had changed and was facing growing problems with armed crime, drugs and gangs and policing must change accordingly, the new head of the Garda Síochána Inspectorate, Kathleen O'Toole, has said.
She did not anticipate a culture of secrecy from gardaí in her new role, but if she found one she would consult Minister for Justice Michael McDowell and plan a way around any "roadblocks".
She had encountered rigid policing cultures in her near 30 years in US policing and she would not be intimidated in her new role as chief inspector of the new Garda Síochána Inspectorate.
She appealed to gardaí who may be sceptical of her and her office to give her a chance.
"I think they'll find that I'm fair, open-minded and I listen. And I do care about the role they play and I care about their perspectives."
Ms O'Toole was speaking at her formal introduction to the media at the Department of Justice in Dublin yesterday. It was her first public appearance in Ireland since accepting her new posting last week.
She has most recently been police commissioner in Boston. Under her, the new Garda Inspectorate will examine any aspect of policing deemed appropriate by Mr McDowell.
She will recommend any changes needed to bring An Garda Síochána into line with international best practice in all areas of policing.
Her first priority would be the recruitment of two deputy inspectors and other staff, as well as fully rolling out the new body that she now leads. Following that, she believed her remit would be broad.
She would examine resourcing levels within the force in an effort to ascertain if more manpower was needed and if current resources were being used properly.
The subject matter of her work thereafter would be dictated by Mr McDowell, but she believed it would include an examination of Garda investigative and operational techniques. She may also consider the level of armed gardaí in the force and the nature of their work.
"I want to get a better sense of who's armed now. I know generally speaking there are probably a few thousand armed gardaí now. It will be interesting to see where they are assigned, what their responsibilities are.
"I think I have a fairly good understanding of the organisation but I'll certainly look forward to a much more comprehensive briefing over the next several weeks."
She would meet Mr McDowell and his staff and Garda management and the Garda representative associations. She also looked forward to meeting Mr Justice Frederick Morris for briefings on the Morris tribunal and its findings.
The tribunal and the Garda reserve force were two "hot-button issues" in the Republic. While she declined to express an opinion on the mooted reserve force, she said part-time policing had been a part of the US criminal justice system for many years.
"I came up through the ranks as a police officer. My heart is with the officers on the beat, I know how hard the job can be."
The Garda Síochána was a "proud and resilient" organisation, albeit one that had been through difficult times of late.
Mr McDowell said he believed Ms O'Toole was an excellent choice as chief inspector.
