Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Mandelson hopes reforms of the RUC will create a more representative and effective police service.

Mr Mandelson also gave a strong indication that the title of the Royal Ulster Constabulary is set to change in a raft of sweeping reforms for policing.

Speaking on BBC Radio, Mr Mandelson said: "The RUC is bigger than its name.

"What it does, how it works in an effective way in Northern Ireland, but also how it can and must become more representative of the community as a whole, are the most important things for the future."

Former Hong Kong governor Chris Patten recommended 175 changes to policing in Northern Ireland in a report published in September.

Mr Mandelson is making a statement in the House of Commons of Wednesday, and is expected to outline the government's backing for most of the proposals.

He acknowledged: "These changes are going to involve pain for the whole RUC family, and I don't want to seem to add insult to injury, but I don't believe it is possible to avoid making all these changes, including to the name, if we are going to get the sort of policing we want in Northern Ireland."

Mr Mandelson said the force needed to recruit more officers from the nationalist community to counter a nine-to-one ratio of Protestants over Catholics in staff numbers.

"That's not healthy, it is not desirable," he said. "It is not sustainable in the long term if we are going to create the sort of normal policing conditions that we want to see."

Acknowledging the potential fall-out from the changes, he added: "We have to accept that there is a big gap in perception and experience of the RUC by the two traditions in Northern Ireland."

He also underlined his support for the force's officers.

"I tend to sympathise (with the view) that a little bit more respect for the sacrifices of the past and those members of the RUC who have lost their lives could have been shown in the Patten report.

"But having said that, I agree broadly with its analysis and I agree broadly with the approach they are taking."

Mr Mandelson also said he had "taken on board" many of the concerns unionists had expressed about the Patten Report.

Criticised hardline unionists

But he criticised some unionists for calling for a boycott of the peace process if policing reforms were introduced.

He said: "Some hardline unionists have said: `You can do anything in Northern Ireland but don't touch our police force.' "Now that confirms the worst suspicions of some people that unionists, some unionists regard the police as their property and that you can't make improvements in order to make it more representative.

"I reject those statements and I don't think such grandstanding does the RUC any service at all."