Victoria Police announce more officers will be deployed in Horsham and Northern Grampians service areas

Victoria Police has announced 788 police and 25 Protective Services Officers will be deployed across the state, 24 in the Northern Grampians Police Service Area, 18 in the Horsham Police Service Area and two shared divisional resources for the Crime Investigation Unit.

The announcement is part of Victoria Police's ongoing recruitment, training and deployment of more than 3,000 additional officers by April 2022.

In total, 117 police stations across the state will receive extra resources, which represents the most significant investment in regional policing in Victoria Police's 167-year history.

Deputy Commissioner Rick Nugent said the newly appointed officers would be in addition to hundreds of frontline officers and dedicated family violence, crime investigation, highway patrol, and sexual offences and child abuse specialists already rolled out over the past two years.

"I know the challenges faced by our rural police, so these additional numbers will be a welcome relief," he said. "The additional numbers will assist our officers tackle key issues we face in rural areas such as family violence, drugs, road trauma and natural disasters.

"It also means more police on the beat than ever before, who will be working around the clock to protect the community, prevent crime and hold offenders to account.

"Our unwavering focus remains on tackling high harm offending which can often have traumatic and life-changing consequences for victims."

Commissioner Nugent said the extra resources would also give police more time to focus on reducing crime that causes wide-spread harm across the community, such as drugs related offences.

"The influx of officers in regional areas will also assist us in enhancing our ability to provide immediate assistance when state disasters occur, such as bushfires or floods," he said.

Training at the Academy is already underway with the new officers to be gradually rolled out to police stations and specialist areas by April 2021. This is the third deployment of 2,729 new officers funded through the State Government's Community Safety Statement.