"The first time I put it on, it was the result of 20 months of hard work and training to get there," Inspector Myers said. "I felt very proud."

It's that pride that drives the new Moorabool inspector to make the streets safer.

The grandfather of eight has taken up the position of inspector after a five-year stint as an emergency management specialist at the western region headquarters in Geelong.

"My job was to look after all the emergencies like train crashes and bushfires," he said.

Inspector Myers says his new job is more hands-on and he's happy to be back in the operational side of things.

"I am rejuvenated."

The inspector wants to increase public safety in Moorabool.

"People should be allowed to walk around the streets at any time of the day without being frightened.

"They should feel safe on the streets, in their homes and vehicles."

Raised in Altona, Inspector Myers was the first in his family to join the police force.

His son has followed in his footsteps.

"I got the opportunity to become a police cadet and do a traineeship when I was 17," Inspector Myers said.

"I took that opportunity and here I am. I've enjoyed every minute of it."

But he admits being frequently exposed to society's underbelly can be hard.

"Sometime we see the worst in humanity. We see things that the rest of the community doesn't ever have to confront."

Inspector Myers does not take his work home and socialises with a wide range of people.

But the avid reader doesn't stray too far from his job, as he enjoys crime novels in his spare time.

He says the fiction rarely matches the reality. "Most of police work is very boring.

"They have to make up a lot of stuff to make it exciting."