Detective senior constables Shannon Murphy, Mick Drew and Robyn Sheather have increased the number of investigators to 12.

Detective Senior Constable Murphy, who spent 2? years at StKilda Road, said: "With the increased resource we can begin to create some proactive work on targeting certain hot spots in the area. I'm still relatively new to the area, but I think across the board proactive policing is something we all do, because it knocks the problem on the head.

"I've been here only a couple of weeks and can see that it's a very busy area and there are certain issues in particular areas that need to be addressed.

"In the drug squad we chased drug traffickers and although it was on a much grander scale, the crimes are the same. The experience I gained in that role will be useful here."

Detective Senior Constable Murphy said his decision to head out west was an easy one.

"Detective Senior Sergeant Kerin Moloney [head of CIU] is very much a respected figure within Victoria Police and that had a lot to do with it.

"I also knew the CIU members here had the same level of respect and I believed I would fit in.

"They have been working under extremely difficult circumstances and doing a terrific job with limited resources, so hopefully with three new members on board we can have a greater presence and make Hobsons Bay a safe place for the community."