South-west police are urging licensed gun holders to check their storage set up as firearms continue to fall into the hands of criminals.
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A spate of shootings in Victoria has left nine people dead and more than 30 others seriously injured has sparked a new campaign to get illegal guns off the streets.
Police and Crime Stoppers Victoria launched the Illegal guns affect everyone campaign on Thursday in a bid to take the weapons out of criminal hands.
South-west regional firearms officer Senior Constable Michael Gloury said he and the local crime prevention officer worked in conjunction to try and reduce incidents of firearm-related crime.
"We're always more than happy to provide a check or give firearm licence-holders advice," he said.
"We take firearm security very seriously. It's a high priority. Preventing firearm thefts is what we hope to achieve."
Senior Constable Gloury said it was an ongoing issue to educate firearm licence-holders about their responsibilities.
"Theft of firearms is fortunately becoming less of a problem as we continue to educate people. It's an ongoing process," he said.
"There are specific safes, designed to be bolted to walls and floors, that do make it difficult for offenders to try and steal firearms."
Senior Constable Gloury is available for consultation at the Warrnambool police station.
Firearm thefts in rural areas has been a high profile specific issue during the past decade, with there being a market for such weapons.
"This campaign is targeting criminals who have gone at length to obtain a firearm illegally," Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Tess Walsh said .
"If that individual has gone to the effort to obtain a gun illegally, then they have the propensity to use it.
"The campaign push follows the increasing number of violent shootings in the state, which has already resulted in the deaths of nine people and more than 30 others with serious injuries."
The shootings include a 30-year-old man who was found dead in a targeted attack in Hampton Park in April, just days after another man was shot dead in a suburban Melbourne park, with children finding the guns the next day.
There were an estimated illegal 260,000 firearms in Australia in 2015, the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission said.
"Any information about guns, where they are being concealed and how they are being used, is the key to seizing these dangerous weapons," Crime Stoppers chief executive Stella Smith said.
Information provided to the organisation in the past 12 months has helped remove 88 illegal guns off Victorian streets.
