Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said Ireland has one of the highest representations of female policing in Europe, with women accounting for almost 30% of members of An Garda Síochána.
He also said that more than 40% of the current applications for An Garda Síochána are from women.
He was speaking at the International Association of Women in Policing Conference at Dublin Castle where delegates from police services in more than 20 counties have gathered.
Cressida Dick, former Police Chief of London's Metropolitan Police told the conference the spotlight is on "breaking the bias" while former garda commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan said there is a need to overcome both "visible and invisible barriers" to achieve equality.
Ms O'Sullivan called on both men and women to show courage and speak up if they see bias in action .
The three-day conference coincides with International Women’s Day and is focused on the progress and leadership of women in policing internationally.
It also marks 100 years of An Garda Síochána.
Cressida Dick spoke about the "crazy bias" she encountered when she first joined the police force and highlighted the aggression and discrimination experienced by female police officers in the past.
She said women are now thriving in every rank and role as she described women "flooding" into the Met police force.
However she said some women still face hostility in parts or the world when considering policing as a career, where they do not have the same rights as men.
She also acknowledged a drop in confidence in policing as she spoke about the challenge of addressing major issues in society, particularly violence against women.
She referred to the "appalling murder" of Sarah Everard and also referred to the death of Ashling Murphy in Ireland.
She said profound questions have been asked in the aftermath and posed the question to the conference: "What else should we be doing to reduce the scourge of violence against women?"
She outlined the challenges facing police forces as violent crime rates soar in some European cities.
Deborah Friedl, IAWP President, referred to policing being in troubled times and how it might change for the better with more women playing an important part.
She said female officers might play a role in rebuilding trust as she referred to their particular skills in the community, and said these should not be viewed as "soft skills".
She said assignments such as working with victims of gender-based violence is the foundation of looking after a community.
While in her view, there is no easy solution to hiring more women into the police force, she said it takes a series of different measures including removing roadblocks.
"Women don’t deserve to be at the table because they are good girls, but [because] they represent 51% of the population," she said, adding it is also based on the skills they bring to a police force.
Over the next three days the conference will discuss topics such as domestic homicide, sexual violence, restorative justice and fraud among others.
The IAPW was founded in 1915 with the aim of uniting, strengthening, and raising the capacity of women in the police force.
