Graham Ashton has been appointed Victoria Police Chief Commissioner by the State Government, starting from July, and says counterterrorism and community cohesion will be his key priorities.

Mr Ashton will leave his role as Deputy Commissioner with the Australian Federal Police (AFP).

He will replace Acting Chief Commissioner Tim Cartwright, who has been in the role since January 2015.

Mr Ashton will move back to Victoria Police from the AFP, where he only took up his appointment as Deputy Commissioner late last year.

Premier Daniel Andrews said Mr Ashton was the right commissioner for "uncertain times" and had been chosen from a strong field of applicants.

Mr Andrews cited Mr Ashton's career achievements of dealing with the scourge of ice, counter terrorism and police integrity.

"It is an outstanding career of service and one where Graham Ashton will bring to this role a steadiness of leadership style, a wealth of experience and sense of character," Mr Andrews said.

He was previously Deputy Commissioner at Victoria Police and a Deputy Director of the Victorian Office of Police Integrity.

Priorities: Counterterrorism, bikies, ice, domestic violence

He said counterterrorism would be one of the key challenges in the future.

"Those issues aren't going to go away, in fact they're only probably going to worsen as a challenge for the community to meet, but it's one we've got to work very collaboratively with the community on meeting," he said.

Mr Ashton said tackling terrorism would involve ensuring Victoria Police had the right equipment for intelligence gathering, responding in a timely way.

Loading

"Having been part of Victoria Police, IT is always a huge challenge for us, that's something that we've got to get right and get right soon," he said.

"It's not only IT in terms of making sure our first responders have got the right IT at their fingertips when they're out there on the job, but making sure that our intelligence systems are smart."

He said "overall public order" and engaging the community would also be a priority for police under his leadership.

"When you see what happens at the moment in Europe and to a lesser extent in the United States, social cohesion has been a real challenge for communities," he said.

"I'm sure it's a challenge this Government will have to rise to meeting and Victoria Police will be a part of doing that.

"Certainly we've got to make sure that in terms of our community engagement work particularly, making sure that we're an inclusive police force, that we're serving the community in an inclusive way, that we're taking the community with us ... are really important elements over the next few years."

Mr Ashton said he had seen the problem of the drug ice emerge over the past three to four years and it was a huge priority for Victorians "across the board".

He called for consistent laws across the country to deal with the threat of motorcycle gangs dealing in the drug.

"One of the critical elements for me is this goes hand-in-hand with outlaw motorcycle gangs, they are the primary traffickers of ice, both in this state and across the country," he said.

"They also play a key role in facilitating the importation of ice, when it is imported to the extent that it is."

Family violence would also continue to be a priority, Mr Ashton said, with Victoria Police was still responding to 600 family violence calls a day.

"One of the things I think is particularly important in family violence is that Victoria Police works in partnership with other agencies across Government, this is not just a policing issue," he said.

"We've got to make sure that across the DHS sector with young people at risk, and across the not-for-profit sector a collective push, not just one part of Government trying to push in one direction and other parts pushing in another."

He commended former Victoria Police chief commissioner Ken Lay for his work in the area.

Leading Victoria Police 'a great honour'

Mr Ashton, who has 24 years experience with the AFP, he said he was honoured to by the appointment.

"It's obviously a humbling honour ... being an organisation that is steeped in traditions, it's an organisations that pre-dates the federation of this country, it's one of Australia's oldest institutions," Mr Ashton said.

"Accordingly leading that organisation is a great honour, but also comes with great responsibility."

He said he was a "traditionalist" who wanted to ensure that Victoria Police did not lose its traditions, while presenting "a modern and effective current contemporary face of policing".

Both Mr Andrews and Mr Ashton paid tribute to Chief Commissioner Cartwright for his work in the role.

"You've done yourself absolute credit in terms of your leadership," Mr Andrews said.