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," Cessford said. "You tend to de-prioritize local concerns."

Why adopt a policing model that would cost more money to run but not give better service, he asked.

"Why would we do this?" Rather, Cessford advocates 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 the municipal and city police departments.

"We need to do a better job of organizing," he said.

Cessford authored a position paper on the issue five years ago, entitled "From Integration to Organization: A Renewed Model for Policing in British Columbia."

In it, he proposed that the provincial government set up a British Columbia Specialized Policing Agency that would handle big-issue criminal activity. Cessford also called on the government to develop an "overall" policing model that would promote the work of local police agencies and integrated units "by coordinating all efforts."