Melb police station staying shut after 5pm

A Melbourne police station will be closed after dark as more officers are deployed to the streets to fight crime and respond to calls for assistance.

Carrum Downs Police Station counter service has been closing from 5pm rather than the usual 11pm under a trial to get more police on the beat and that is being extended until December.

Inspector Simon Humphrey says the three-month trial confirmed the need for police to be on the road and in the field instead of sitting inside a police station.

"We will continue to look at ways to improve our policing service and see the benefits of extra patrols to high-risk areas," Insp Humphrey said.

Several police stations across the state, including Ashburton, Burwood, Forest Hill and Mount Waverley, have decreased their opening hours in an attempt to get more officers into the community.