January 22, 2013 - 4:26 PM
VANCOUVER - Vancouver's mayor says a regional police force is so crucial for the Metro area that it should be a top issue in the upcoming provincial election.
Gregor Robertson says Vancouver is the only large city in Canada without an amalgamated police agency, and the matter has been debated without any action for decades.
Robertson made his comments after a Vancouver Police Board meeting where the board endorsed 63 recommendations from a report by missing women inquiry commissioner Wally Oppal.
Police Chief Jim Chu says his department made it clear as far back as 2004 that a regional police force would be more effective in solving major crimes.
Oppal said in his report last month that a lack of co-ordination between police departments allowed serial killer Robert Pickton to pick up women from the Downtown Eastside then murder them in Coquitlam, B.C.
Attorney General Shirley Bond did not return calls for comment Tuesday but has said the province recently signed a 20-year contract with the RCMP and an opt-out clause could allow for another policing model.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2013