Thirty-five new positions will be created across the region, including 33 general duties officers and two detectives, as part of the state government's plan to add 788 officers across the state.

The south-west's numbers will grow over the next two years as police target problem areas - family violence, road trauma and drug-related crimes. While the official announcement did not outline the depth of those areas, long-term residents know they are particularly troubling. As we reported today, crime has been steadily rising in the past five years and anecdotally, the seriousness has been increasing.

Adding 35 new positions will certainly help but those extra officers will not on their own reduce drug offences, road trauma and family violence. Each are complex areas.

Family violence, despite various campaigns, needs more education in the hope of changing attitudes. With growing awareness, more police will be critical, so too more resources for victim support services.

More police on our roads should help the fight to reduce road trauma. Despite graphic, successful Transport Accident Commission campaigns, drugs, alcohol and mobile phones play far too great a role in road trauma. Even more education and awareness is needed because the region's road toll is already at six after 10 last year.

Drugs are another complex issue. It's important to reduce supplies and cut down traffickers and users but simply filling our already full jails is not the solution. We need to provide help to those who want to change their lives and the proposed Lookout residential alcohol and drug rehabilitation centre is one such avenue that needs support and funding. Extra police resources are critical for the region for other reasons too. They add a sense of community safety and boost the region's economy. But the growth in resources will also have its challenges. Police stations need upgrading. Hamilton's is far too small; Warrnambool's needs to expand as well. The region's courts are already overflowing and magistrates can't keep up. We need more magistrates too.