The RUC has said it is ready and willing to undergo the transformation in policing in the North. In a statement yesterday the force said a "huge programme of change" lay ahead.
"Let there be no doubt that the police are ready . . . In many areas, we are already on the move forward, and that process will speed up in the months and years ahead," the statement said.
"But we need to be realistic, too. Tackling change on this scale isn't a soft, easy or cheap option. These are difficult issues that demand commitment, determination and resources."
The RUC's name will officially change to the Police Service of Northern Ireland this autumn as part of police reforms introduced by the British government last year following the recommendations of the Patten Commission.
Catholics have been underrepresented in the RUC, and the British government hopes to attract more into the police. Almost 8,000 applications have been received from people wishing to be among the first tranche of 240 recruits. However, as yet there has been no endorsement of the new service by the Catholic Church, the SDLP or Sinn Fein.
The RUC said the threat of paramilitary violence still existed. "While thankfully terrorism has reduced, it hasn't gone away. There are still those who seek to kill and maim to force their views on others.
"As we have seen too often in recent weeks, the legacy of thuggery, organised crime, drug-dealing and racketeering that terrorism has spawned is still there. We still have to deal, too, with the continuing tensions between divided communities which become so marked during the marching season each year."
The Sinn Fein president, Mr Gerry Adams, said: "A genuine new policing dispensation has to be in common ownership of all sections of the people. The name of the service, its badge, flag and emblem are all part of that."
"In respect of repression, the future of Special Branch and its support units is key to the future of policing. So, too, is the highly militaristic paramilitary structure and ethos of the wider RUC force," he said.
"The repressive legislation which has been the backbone of the RUC remains in place. As does, for example, their willingness to use plastic bullets. This must change."