Report underscores limited evidence for regionalized policing in B.C.

CTV News has been investigating regionalized policing in recent months, as mayors ask the province to explore whether the model could work in Greater Victoria.

As B.C. mayors ask the province to explore whether shifting to a regional policing model would be a good move, a report indicates the answer may lie in evidence that doesn’t exist.

Through a freedom of information request, CTV News obtained a 234-page discussion paper, which unpacks the complexities of the model and potential regionalization scenarios.

It was prepared for the B.C. Association of Municipal Chiefs of Police in 2024. A redacted version of the paper is at the bottom of this story.

“The report itself is not prescriptive,” said Josh Murphy, a criminologist at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, who was part of the research team.

“If the province decided to pull the pin on this and go, ‘We’re doing it,’ this document could be a resource that could be a starting point of which to kind of initiate that process.”

In November, four Greater Victoria mayors met with Public Safety Minister Nina Krieger to discuss a potential transition to regional policing.

Esquimalt Mayor Barbara Desjardins said she wishes she’d been made aware of the discussion paper beforehand.

“It would have been really nice to have an understanding of that report given that it was done in 2024,” Desjardins said in an interview with CTV News.

“It really sort of walks on both sides of the argument, but it does open up some of the conversation around ways that you could explore how other amalgamations and regionalization processes have occurred.”

‘Limited empirical analysis’

Regionalized policing — and the greater amalgamation of B.C. municipalities — has been a subject of debate for decades. The discussion paper points to a newspaper article from 1924, entitled Regional police just around the corner.

Over a century later, there’s little evidence to support or oppose the model.

“There has been limited empirical analysis of the major issues surrounding regionalization, the experiences of other jurisdictions, and existing best practices,” the paper says.

“Alternative models of police service delivery that may hold considerable promise in increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of the police in certain regions of the province have not been explored.”

For that reason, Saanich Police Department Chief Dean Duthie said he doesn’t have a firm opinion on the model.

“There’s too much at stake to make a knee-jerk reaction to feel there’s going to be a fix-all solution that’s going to make policing better in Greater Victoria,” Duthie said.

Regionalization is often proposed on the basis that it could reduce redundancies, improve service delivery, and cut costs due to economies of scale. It also raises questions and concerns about restructuring costs and governance models.

Murphy said arguments for or against the model are largely based on anecdotes and conjecture. Still, he said the current system doesn’t make sense.

“It is heavily fragmented. There’s really no rhyme or reason to which municipalities have an independent municipal police service,” he said.

The discussion paper was informed by interviews with politicians, police leaders, and Indigenous communities. They said the current system is characterized by disparities in policing resources, competition for recruits, inconsistent policies and training, and coordination challenges for criminal threats across jurisdictional borders.

Mayors at odds over timing of potential probe

In the upcoming municipal elections, there will be a ballot question about whether the municipalities of Victoria and Saanich should amalgamate.

Victoria mayor Marianne Alto has been vocal about her support for exploring a regional police service. In a letter provided to CTV News, Alto told Krieger now is the time to act.

“Minister, I urge you to swiftly undertake an analysis of the pros and cons of an amalgamated regional police service in the four core municipalities on southern Vancouver Island,” Alto wrote in the letter, dated Dec. 18, 2025.

In a similar letter, Saanich Mayor Dean Murdock asked Krieger to hold off on a potential review until after the October elections.

“While council is supportive of any process to assess opportunities for service improvements that benefit residents of Saanich and the region, we continue to hear from residents that they value the high quality service they receive from the (police) department,” Murdock wrote in the letter, dated Jan. 19.

Duthie echoed that sentiment, noting Greater Victoria has already taken “baby steps toward regionalization” with several integrated police units.

“Different communities have different expectations and different needs, and it’s really important that those are addressed while staying current and aware of regional impacts,” he said.

Related:

• B.C. won’t create provincial police force, minister says
• Oak Bay, Saanich ink new policing agreement
• Central Saanich left out of police regionalization talks