The debate raged on over whether the Lower Mainland would be safer or more vulnerable with one big police force as the police in Metro Vancouver met at a conference Wednesday.

At a gathering of top cops and politicians at Simon Fraser University's Wosk Centre for Dialogue, police debated the pros and cons of each strategy.

"I think all of us in the room recognize that crime has no boundaries," said Vancouver Police Chief Jim Chu.

However, police in the Lower Mainland have boundaries -- plenty of them.

There are seven police forces at work in the Lower Mainland: Vancouver, West Vancouver, New Westminster, Abbotsford, Delta, and Port Moody.

The RCMP also operates in cities such as Burnaby, Surrey, North Vancouver, and Richmond.

The chief of West Vancouver is calling for change.

"We have a fractured system of policing in place across Metro Vancouver right now," he told CTV News' Janet Dirks.

"Right now, I believe and others believe there is a better way to deliver police service."

Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan agreed.

"If we could have a regional police force we would be able to allocate police back and forth across borders, there would be better communication and better ability to deal with crimes," he said.

Eileen Mohan, whose son Chris Mohan was killed as innocent bystanders in a gang massacre, pushed for it as well.

"If I can prevent one family from going through what I'm going through, I would see it as a victory," she said. "This way the right hand will know what the left hand is doing."

But those who oppose a centralized service worry it will end the days of community policing.

"I cannot see any benefit to changing our model," said Delta Mayor Lois Jackson.

The RCMP says that the current system is working, pointing to a 20 per cent reduction in crime since 2003.

"Those numbers are pretty dramatic and are actually leading the country," said Peter German, the RCMP's district commander for the Lower Mainland.

B.C.'s solicitor general says he's not going to make any heat of the moment decisions yet.

With a report from CTV British Columbia's Janet Dirks