While Vancouver Police Chief Jim Chu came out this week and offered his support for a Metro Vancouver regional police force, Burnaby officials had a different view.
"I really don't know why you would put any import at all on what Jim Chu has to say on this," said Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan. "He's a senior bureaucrat of a police department which would like to grow."
Corrigan said he's not surprised that Chu and Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson have come out in support of a regional police force.
"Vancouver comes out with a giant horse, and they say it's a gift," said Corrigan. "Well, we've done a lot of research and have done so for a significant amount of time, . and if we went this way, Vancouver will require the bulk of the resources and Vancouver will be keen to unload the bulk of the expenses.
"Vancouver will want others to share the burden, but Vancouver won't want others to share the benefits."
Corrigan said Burnaby has done a lot of research into alternative policing models, as have his colleagues in Richmond, North Vancouver City, North Vancouver District and Port Coquitlam.
"Right across the board, we've all
been doing research and sharing our information," said Corrigan. "Many of us have looked at many different options."
Corrigan said he has concerns with how much Burnaby has had to pay for regional policing units, such as the integrated homicide investigation team.
"With the regional teams, the costs have gone up and up," said Corrigan. "We're concerned.
"We're still examining if our experience with regional policing (initiatives) has been a success. There are still questions to be answered."
Corrigan's colleague on Burnaby council, Coun. Nick Volkow, also came out against the regional policing initiative.
"I'm personally not a big fan of the regional policing model, and I've been on record saying that for a long time," said Volkow. "I have no problem whatsoever with the day-to-day policing we're receiving on the streets of Burnaby. My problem is with accountability and how that accountability goes back to the brass in Ottawa."
Volkow said Vancouver's support for a Lower Mainland regional police force was somewhat surprising to him, simply because he's seen how regionalized local governments, such as in Toronto, Halifax and Montreal, do not work.
"We have seen such abject failure with regional government," said Volkow. "Is this what we'll see with regional policing?"
Volkow said Burnaby has done some research into what options it may have if it were to give its two-year notice to pull out of its 20-year policing contract with the RCMP.
"What's the best fit for Burnaby? Would it be a stand alone force? Would partnering with New Westminster or Vancouver make sense? In my mind, I'd like to see what the options are," said Volkow, who said he sees the day "somewhere down the road" when Burnaby will give that two-year notice.
The issue of regional policing became big news this week when Chu released a report responding to Wally Oppal's 63 recommendations of the Missing Women Commission of Inquiry.
In Chu's report, written by Vancouver Deputy Chief Doug LePard, the Vancouver Police Department supports the recommendation "that the provincial government commit to establishing a Greater Vancouver police force through a consultative process with all stakeholders."
Other representatives in Lower Mainland municipalities have come out against the regional policing model.
In neighbouring New Westminster, Mayor Wayne Wright sees "no reason to change."
Wright said his city already participates in several regional policing initiatives, such as the integrated homicide investigation team and the RCMP's emergency response team.
Delta Police Chief Jim Cessford says a regional police force would tend to benefit bigger cities at the expense of smaller ones.
"I don't agree with a general amalgamation," he said. "You tend to de-prioritize local concerns."
Cessford questioned the value of adopting a policing model that he suggests would cost more but not improve service.
"Why would we do this?" Cessford said.
Rather, Cessford advocated for the creation of a specialized police agency, under one chief director, that would investigate gangs, organized crime, homicides "and those bigger issues," while leaving community-based policing to city police departments.
"We need to do a better job of organizing," he said.
Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts says she prefers a "two-tiered" approach to policing that would maintain neighbourhood-level contact between police and residents rather than one big regional police force serving the entire Lower Mainland.
That said, the mayor also indicated she's not hung up on which police force polices her city - or the region, for that matter - as long as the model works.
"I really don't care what uniform they wear as long as the job gets done," she said.
