The RUC should have a more civilian-friendly and human rights-orientated culture, according to a report by a Belfast human rights group.
The report by the Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ), published two months before the Patten Commission on policing is due to report in September, recommends training for officers to reflect the needs of a less militaristic and macho force.
The 136-page report, The Agreement and a New Beginning to Policing in Northern Ireland, includes findings from a two-day conference on policing hosted by the CAJ in Belfast last February.
A CAJ spokesman, Mr Martin O'Brien, said the report's aim was to contribute to the public debate on policing and assist the Patten Commission in its work.