The south-west's new superintendent joined the police family in 1987 and worked across many areas of metropolitan Melbourne in uniform, criminal investigation and the Ceja Task Force, which identified widespread corruption in the former Victoria Police drug squad.

He took a break in 2004 and spent the next decade working with public sector agencies at Ambulance Victoria, Worksafe and the Police Law Enforcement Oversight.

Returning in 2014, Superintendent Hardy went on to work in the Victoria Police transit safety division, the professional standards command, public order response team, family violence command, sex industry coordination unit and state liquor licensing.

He said highway patrol was about the only area he hadn't covered.

Yet in the first few weeks of his new role in the south-west, Superintendent Hardy was out on the roads with members of western region division two road policing units.

The superintendent is eager to know the community he lives and works in, and it shows.

He moved to Warrnambool with his wife and two dogs in June and has been busy travelling around the 22,000-square-kilometre police patch he plans to lead for at least five years.

Superintendent Hardy said his vision for the south-west included greater police visibility and engagement, a focus on crime and proactive strategies to reduce harm, and holding offenders to account through swift intervention and presentation to the courts.

He said he also hoped to guide his "police personnel to be leaders in their community, to be accountable and professional at all times".

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Superintendent Hardy brings a strong ethical compass to the south-west, stating that a "key pillar of my life is having a high level of integrity".

"Doing the right thing even when no one is looking has always been something that resonates with me and I want to be able to impart that onto the organisation," he said.

Superintendent Hardy also plans to prioritise mental health and creating a "community web of protection" by building trust, listening to the community, and being agile and responsive.

He said he joined the police force to make a difference and do something for his community.

"I know every police officers says that but it is true. You want to be able to help people," Superintendent Hardy said.

"After all these years I still enjoy helping people immensely, that has never wavered."

Outside policing, Superintendent Hardy has two adult children, is a keen photographer, cyclist and "long-suffering St Kilda supporter".

He is the president of the Churchill Fellow Association Victoria, has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and cycled from Adelaide to Melbourne to raise funds for cystic fibrosis.

Superintendent Hardy said he was "rapt" about his new appointment in the south-west, stating he looked forward to adopting Koroit as his local football team and getting to know "the beautiful sights".

"I still pinch myself a bit that I'm here," he said.

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