Delegates at the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police conference have voted resoundingly to support the long-gun registry, and now plan to lobby to save it from being scrapped.

Bill Blair, Toronto's police chief and the association's president, said Monday police now hope to wage a public relations campaign in the coming weeks to boost public support for the registry.

The association also plans to discuss the issue with politicians who support eliminating the registry, he added, reiterating that police across the country refer to it thousands of times per day.

"Our support for the long-gun registry is because we use the information contained in that registry virtually every day -- we use it over 11,000 times a day," Blair told CTV News Channel Monday night from Edmonton. "Our police officers use that information to conduct criminal investigations, they use it to keep communities safe, and they use it to keep themselves safe."

Blair said a "special purpose group" of association delegates presented a report to members detailing a national firearm and firearm-safety strategy.

Association members then voted on a resolution based on that report, calling for improved communication with police officers and the public on gun-safety issues, better information and intelligence sharing, improved training and operations, as well as the association's "support for the retention of the Canadian Firearms Program in all of its components, including the long-gun registry," Blair said.

The association voted unanimously to adopt the resolution, which calls on police officials to promote the registry's value to both politicians and the public.

A private members bill by Conservative MP Candice Hoeppner proposes abolishing the registry, calling it expensive and ineffective.

The bill passed second reading in the spring, with the support of the Tories, eight Liberals and 12 New Democrats.

On Sept. 21, MPs are expected to vote on a committee recommendation that would halt the bill.

Blair said police officers do not intend to engage in a large-scale public-relations campaign or to wade too far into political waters.

He said he hears from his own officers with the Toronto Police, particularly members of the guns and gangs unit, who want the registry to remain intact.

"They seize a lot of firearms, and they use the registry countless times each day to do their jobs," Blair said. "And so they've come to us and said we need this information to do our jobs. They want us to bring our voice forward."

Not all frontline officers agree with the registry. Randy Kuntz, an Edmonton police officer for 22 years, surveyed 2,600 officers on the issue, and found about 2,400 want to scrap the registry.

"With the boots-meets-the-pavement type of policeman who's going to be dealing with the public every day, overwhelmingly there's no support for this registry," he told CTV's Kevin Armstrong in Edmonton. "It hasn't saved anybody."

Ousted Mountie absent from conference

RCMP Chief Supt. Marty Cheliak was supposed to present the purpose group's report at the Edmonton conference. But Cheliak was recently removed as the head of the Canadian Firearms Program and sent for French language training, just weeks before the issue returns for debate in the House of Commons.

Edmonton police Supt. Brad Doucette presented the report instead.

Critics have accused the Harper government of using the language requirement as an excuse to remove Cheliak, a staunch supporter of the registry, in anticipation of the debate in Parliament.

Both Harper and RCMP commissioner William Elliot have denied the accusations. Elliot noted last week that Cheliak led the registry only on an acting basis.

On Sunday, Blair said Cheliak's work on the gun file had a positive impact on communities across Canada, but would not comment on his removal from the RCMP position.

"Marty went right across the country and educated police officers, police unions and police leaders in how that information could be used to keep our communities safe," Blair said. "In every place he went, people became more effective in their jobs. Those communities became safer as a direct result of his work."

Cheliak did not attend the conference, but was honoured there on Sunday for his work.

With files from The Canadian Press