The new head of Haringey’s police force has promised improvements, saying “we need to be doing better”.

Helen Millichap started work as Borough Commander on June 20, having previously served as head of Greenwich police. She took over from Victor Olisa, to become one of only eight female borough police chiefs out of 32 in London.

She said her opening weeks have been “amazing”, but have impressed on her the huge job she has ahead of her.

She said: “You would expect coming from a similar job in another borough that it might be absolutely straightforward finding out how things work, but it’s a very steep learning curve, things are done very differently in other boroughs.

“The main thing I feel is that it has been an enormously welcoming borough, both from the officers I work with and the wider community.

“There is a real buzz and an energy about making a difference for Haringey, which I hope is being felt by people, but there is much more to do.

“I do think we need to be doing better with the number of convictions we are getting in this borough, if you do that right you get the confidence of the victim and the public.”

Ms Millichap has already moved to play down fears of disorder this week, with public memorials to Mark Duggan – who was shot dead by police four years ago, sparking days of rioting – set to take place on August 6.

On a public blog, she said neither the police nor the organisers are expecting disorder.

She said: “I’ve been really disappointed to see inaccurate speculation in the media that we are expecting problems in the borough, particularly on August 6.

“It is an easy story to write on the back of last week's issues but I want to be really clear that we are not expecting problems. It is really unhelpful and unsettling for the local community of Haringey to see their borough talked about in that way, in fact it fuels rumour and concern.

“I wanted to let everyone know what we are doing in preparation for policing the commemoration events. We are focused on the safety of the local community and those involved in the event. Police officers will be present, to ensure that the event is peaceful and to provide reassurance to local communities.”

She did admit to the Tottenham and Wood Green Independent, however, they can do more to restore public confidence and communicate better with young people, particularly in the aftermath of another man shot dead by police, Jermaine Baker in December.

She said: “We are committed to a style of neighbourhood policing that absolutely puts engaging with the local community at the heart of the job. I personally think talking to young people, making sure police officers are a familiar and ordinary presence in people’s lives, and having the difficult conversations about stop and search are important.

“The short answer is we are working really hard on it. Could we do more? Always we could. Are there people who hold certain views about policing in Tottenham, especially in the aftermath of that shooting? Yes there are.

“It is important we are an open and transparent police force that answers difficult questions, but which also gets on with the day to day job of bread and butter policing. I think we have made improvements, but there is probably a lot more to do.”

A 41-year-old mother of two, Ms Millichap baulked at the term “role-model” for young women looking to get into the police force, but said she hoped she could prove it is possible balance a healthy family life with a successful career.

She said: “I definitely have a responsibility as someone who has managed to work as a senior member of my organisation, and having two young kids as well. Before becoming borough commander, I worked seven years part time.

“It has been very hard to not find it awkward to say I can’t do something because of family, I know we are a 24/7 operation and we always need to be at the end of a phone, but we can also be a lot smarter and flexible with the work-life balance, not always working late into the night and putting my children to bed whenever I can.

“I’m trying to be the person who proves you can do that, but I have a huge responsibility to Haringey as well.”