Victoria Police western region Assistant Commissioner Michael Grainger spoke to media this week about his key focuses for the region.

He said there'd been five fatal crashes in the Warrnambool district so far this year compared to two in the same period in 2022.

"We just can't cop that," Assistant Commissioner Grainger said.

He said the region's police were committed to getting into licensed premises, onto back roads where police were rarely seen, and "making our presence felt by doing what we do 24 hours a day".

The Standard asked the assistant commissioner if there were plans to bring more highway patrol units to the region, citing a "two-up" policy which effectively halved the number of units on the roads.

Victoria Police banned single-officer highway patrols about five years ago.

Assistant Commissioner Grainger said the force had made a "deliberate decision" to ensure units were two-up following a number of attacks on single officers.

"You could argue that it reduces the presence of highway patrol units but at what cost?" he said, stating the safety of the community and his members was his number one concern.

The assistant commissioner said resources across the traditional policing boundaries were being combined, meaning Warrnambool's highway patrol would "hook up" with Geelong's and meet somewhere like Mortlake or Colac to ensure a "really strong presence".

"We're also in the process of trying to source central policing resources from road safety command into regional areas as well," he said.

Assistant Commissioner Grainger said he had a "very strong desire" to get more units to the region.

He said that included booze buses from metropolitan Melbourne to the south-west at random times and not just when big events were being held.

"It is a prediction not a promise at the moment but I'm engaged daily (with road safety command)," he said.

He said every life lost was a family and community "incredibly impacted by that loss".

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