Labour and Fine Gael have proposed the establishment of an independent Garda authority that will have ultimate responsibility for overseeing policing policy in the State.
In a new joint policy proposal on Garda reform, the parties have also promised an improved community policing programme.
The Garda authority would be responsible for a review of Garda rostering practices in order to ensure that gardaí were generally on duty at times they were needed most. The authority would also be responsible for establishing and defining best practice policing.
It would also oversee and monitor Garda performance using data from different areas, and would oversee the opening up of senior Garda positions to external candidates.
It would be responsible for making recommendations to government on the appointment of senior gardaí, including the commissioner.
Garda management would be "streamlined", too, with greater responsibilities going to regional assistant commissioners to take powers in their own areas.
The document has also proposed a major civilianisation of the force, combined with an increase in Garda numbers to 15,000.
The parties questioned the similar commitments made yesterday by Minister for Justice Michael McDowell.
Launching the document, Fine Gael justice spokesman Jim O'Keeffe said the Government would not have 14,000 gardaí on the beat by the election, as promised.
Labour Justice spokesman Brendan Howlin also questioned Mr McDowell's civilianisation commitment. He said the Government received a report from five years ago identifying 500 Garda posts that could be civilianised, yet not one post had been.
Mr O'Keeffe said Labour and Fine Gael believed more gardaí were needed on the ground. "This can only be achieved by speeding up the pace of reform within An Garda Síochána. It must become a modern, effective police service with a commitment to community policing, modern management structures and proper systems of accountability."
He added that community policing had been "proven to work and is the best way to combat anti-social behaviour, street violence and delinquency".
Both parties were "committed to assigning police officers to particular communities on longer assignments".
Labour's justice spokesman Brendan Howlin TD said the proposals announced yesterday were not in reaction to the recent spate of violent murders. However, he added that the reform of Garda structures had "never been more important and the necessity for structural change has been underscored by the events of the past few weeks.
"The gardaí have served us well but the current organisational structures were devised in the 1920s and have changed little in the interim, despite the transformation of Irish society in that period."
He said virtually all policing decisions were currently made by two people, the Minister for Justice and the Garda Commissioner. This was "no longer appropriate".