Inspector Thomson started work in the Horsham police service area on Monday.

She has been in Victoria Police for 33 years, starting in Melbourne, before moving to regional areas a decade later.

"With two kids under my belt, I thought I would go country for a bit," she said.

"We went to Warrnambool to start off with, it was beautiful and I ended up staying in Warrnambool for the next 17 years in three or four different roles.

"I did some proactive policing, and when I did that I studied crime prevention, which was very interesting."

Inspector Thomson then became a crime scene expert and worked in forensics, which lead to her first stint in the Wimmera.

In 2014, she was promoted to sergeant in the Wimmera and set up the region's crime scene unit.

Then she returned to Warrnambool in a training role, before landing the inspector role in Horsham.

"The Wimmera has been very kind to me and my family," she said.

Inspector Thomson also has strong ties to the region.

"My mother, her lovely tribe is from Douglas and I've still got family that live here," she said.

"All of my childhood was spent coming to the Wimmera during the school holidays, spending time yabbying and spotlighting, so I really feel deeply enmeshed in regional life - I love it.

"I don't ever see myself going back to the city."

Inspector Thomson said road safety was a big issue in the region that she would tackle.

"Sadly you are three times more likely to die on regional roads," she said.

"There are also community harm issues such as drugs, alcohol and violence that need attention.

"The future will certainly be around the family violence unit they are building here, which is having huge affects around enforcement and education."

Inspector Thomson said she would also like to engage more with the community.

"I'll be going out and speaking to people about what they think," she said.

Inspector Thomson said being a police officer was tough, but she loved the variety of it.

"It's quite humbling to be in a position where people call you when they are at their most vulnerable," she said.

"I've been a police officer for a long time now and I never really tire of helping someone in need and then seeing them after they have gone through that crisis.

"I never get sick of the buzz when you see someone afterwards and they are going well."

Inspector Thomson said working with vulnerable people was also the hardest part of her job.

"Some of the hardest parts of the job is also the vulnerable of our own members - there is no shortage of trauma and I am very mindful of the welfare of my members.

"We are getting better at it, but I think we can do a lot more in that space as well."