Victoria Police has announced an additional 300 police shifts across the state from now until the end of May as part of Operation Kinetic. The Bendigo policing division has been listed as one of the priority areas. 

A Victoria Police spokesperson said priority areas represented policing divisions where there had been significant road trauma in 2019 and during the past five years.

"Although there are priority areas, Victoria Police is empowering local police to look at their intelligence and place resources where they need it most," the spokesperson said.

"Each region will target bad behaviours specific to their area. These focuses will continue to change throughout the 10-week operation."

The state's road death toll is 50 per cent higher than this time last year, after 77 people died on the roads in the past three months. 

If that number continues to rise at the same rate, the 2019 Victorian road death toll will be the highest it has been in 20 years.

Read more: ​60 per cent of road deaths in Victoria occured on country roads, police demand community responsibility

"It's about saving lives on the road," Acting Assistant Commissioner Neville Taylor said.

"We still see people using behaviours on the road that cost lives.

"What can really turn this around quickly is the highly visible, active enforcement by police when people do the wrong thing. That is the piece that can turn it around." 

The TAC-funded operation will focus on road users' bad behaviour, including drink and drug driving, high speed on rural roads, and motorcyclist, pedestrian and cyclist safety.

Assistant Commissioner Taylor said the additional shifts would be overtime shifts rather than taking police away from other operations. 

"I've had members from across regional Victoria emailing me asking how can they help," he said. 

"They want to be part of this and they want to make a difference."

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