VICTORIA'S top cop has defended the new fire danger ratings and says they will take time to sink in.
Victoria Police Commissioner Simon Overland told guests at a Rural Press Club of Victoria lunch in Geelong last week that it could take years for people to come to grips with the new fire danger message.
"It is particularly challenging because there have been big changes and it takes years for the message to get through," Mr Overland said.
Mr Overland was responding to a question from former Victorian Farmers Federation president Simon Ramsay.
Mr Ramsay said his region, in Victoria's southwest, was given a catastrophic fire danger warning on a day of 43C and very little wind.
He said it was unclear what the legal obligations were for employers.
"I don't like the term because it scares the community," Mr Ramsay said.
Mr Overland said the new ratings were put in place after the interim report of the Bushfire Royal Commission was released.
He said it could take years for the community to come to become familiar with the ratings.
"The evidence is that it works over time and it takes a long time for the message to come through," Mr Overland said.
He said he had been struck with the "incredible sense of community and resilience" as he travelled through country Victoria as the anniversary of the Black Saturday bushfires approached.
"The strength of the rural community is truly remarkable," Mr Overland said.
"It's testament to the spirit and dedication determination of the people who have banded together through this crisis."
Mr Overland denied the number of police had been declining in rural areas.
"The suggestion that we've reduced numbers in rural areas is wrong," he said.
He said the police force was growing, with an additional 470 police in Victoria in the current four year term of government.
