Officials in the Lower Mainland want to ask the federal government for help dealing with a recent wave of violence. (CBC)

More than a dozen police and officials from Lower Mainland cities met in Surrey on Thursday to discuss recommendations they plan to make to the federal government about escalating violence.

The meeting, organized by Surrey Mayor Diane Watts, was attended by representatives from Langley, Coquitlam, Abbotsford, Burnaby, Richmond and Vancouver.

"We've heard from all of us; it's time to stop the carnage," said Watts. "It can't go on like this."

Watts said she wants to see mandatory jail sentences for people convicted of firearms offences among the recommendations. She also wants to see an end to the practice of giving criminals extra credit for time served while awaiting trial.

Richard Stewart, the mayor of Coquitlam, echoed Watts's sentiments.

"The barrier seems to be that the courts aren't taking this kind of crime seriously enough, that guns do not result in jail time often enough, that bail is offered too often for people who have been involved in persistent criminal activity and who are charged again with crimes."

Other recommendations include a regional court watch program, where officials can post information on the bail conditions of gang members so community members can report whether the conditions are violated, she said.

Meeting participants are going to take the recommendations to a Metro Vancouver mayors meeting in April, where they hope the civic leaders will agree to take them to the federal government.

Solicitor general unveils his anti-crime proposal

City officials were not the only ones asking for action against gang violence.

B.C. Solicitor General John van Dongen and Attorney General Wally Oppal will go to Ottawa in less than a week to ask the federal government for changes to the Criminal Code.

Van Dongen also appeared before B.C.'s police chiefs Thursday morning to promote his government's plan to fight escalating violence.

He said he wants to hire more officers and proposed to lobby the federal government for tougher laws on wiretapping, repeat offenders and gun crimes.

One proposal that was noticeably absent, however, was the creation of a regional police force.

"We believe that we don't need regional policing," said Supt. Bill McKinnon, president of the B.C. Chiefs of Police. "We believe we're already there. We work together. We're unified. We share information. We work on projects together."

Police pursue leads in most recent killing

The meetings were held after there were 11 killings in the Lower Mainland in a span of 15 days. The most recent was of Nicole Marie Alemy, 23, on Monday in her car, while her four-year-old son was riding in the back seat.

Police sources admitted Thursday they are pursuing what they believe is "a strong lead" linking the shooting of Alemy to that of Rafael Baldini, 21. Baldini was gunned down outside Guildford mall in Surrey two weeks earlier.

Investigators believe Baldini knew Alemy’s husband, Koshan Alemy, and are looking into whether he was the intended target of the most recent shooting.

Police said tips are slowly coming in from the public but continue to ask those who know anything about the killings to call Crime Stoppers.