Five more specialist police will begin roles in the Wimmera across the next 12 months.
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On Friday, Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Rick Nugent announced the deployment of 709 additional police officers and 25 Protective Services Officers across Victoria over the year beginning May 1.
Wimmera Superintendent Paul Margetts said this included four new family violence specialists and one new criminal investigator in his region.
Related: Meet Horsham's newest police officer
"The first positions will be advertised in May, and the new officers will be introduced incrementally," Supt Margetts said.
"Horsham Police station is currently undergoing renovations to house the five new personnel."
He said the allocations for each police service area were determined based on the nature of reports of crime to police.
"The latest reports suggest family violence reporting is increasing in the Wimmera, and it has been an under-reported crime traditionally, so we're hoping the additional members give people a level of comfort and confidence to report to us," Supt Margetts said.
"They will be linked in with other support services through the Department of Health and Human Services and the Barwon Centre Against Sexual Assault."
Superintendent Margetts said the new criminal investigation role would help police deal with general crimes such as burglary, deception and dishonesty.
"That has been another category which has increased in the crime report of the last three months," he said.
"The tend to be quite protracted investigations, involving sometimes hundreds of offences requiring officers to review bank records and online transactions."
Superintendent Margetts said Wimmera residents should still ring through to their nearest police station to be put in touch with the specialist services.
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