POLICE will roll out a "community web of protection" in Bendigo and the rest of central Victoria by the early new year.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Officers will reach out to members of the public over the next four weeks in the Campaspe and Central Goldfields regions to see what people want from officers.
Feedback from consultations both large and small will help police tailor services, Superintendent John Kearney said.
Plans are also being developed for Bendigo, he said.
"I'll have more to say about that (Bendigo plan) to the whole community in time to come."
Macedon Ranges police already have their program running and have upped foot patrols at markets, football games and shopping areas.
They have also increased the number of vehicles they pull over in "high profile" areas within towns and on major roads, Superintendent Kearney said.
"People are telling us where, and when, they want us to be somewhere. We are doing it."
Superintendent Kearney said he is already hearing feedback about how the police are more visible in the Macedon Ranges.
"The goal is not just about visibility. It's about increasing people's feeling of safety by showing them police are there," he said.
"In the past we've been there, but we've not been in places the community has been able to see us."
More police and court news
Officers' presence also deter people from committing offences, Superintendent Kearney said.
"From my perspective, this will be an ongoing process of us reaching into the community to get feedback. So we will continue to change and evolve just as the community changes and evolves," he said.
Have you signed up to the Bendigo Advertiser's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in central Victoria.