It's become a pattern.

Three of the last four permanent Victoria police chiefs were formerly employed by the Vancouver Police Department.

The latest is Del Manak, who was acting chief until his permanent appointment yesterday.

Manak was born and raised in Victoria and spent four years early in his career policing the streets of Vancouver.

He joined the Victoria Police Department in 1993, rising up through the ranks to become deputy chief in 2010.

Manak replaced Frank Elsner, who resigned as chief following allegations about messages he had sent to the wife of a Victoria police officer.

Elsner's predecessor was Jamie Graham, who was Vancouver's police chief for five years before being hired to head the Victoria force.

Graham came in after Bill Naughton served as interim chief. That followed the resignation of Paul Battershill, another former Vancouver cop who became Victoria's police chief.

Battershill was a member of the VPD and served as the union president during his 20-year career in Vancouver before being hired to lead Victoria's force in 1999.

In 2008 Battershill resigned following a disciplinary hearing. The reasons for his departure were never made public.

Two other former senior Vancouver police officers, Kash Heed and Bob Rich, became chiefs of the West Vancouver and Abbotsford police forces, respectively.