Acting Chief Commissioner Rick Nugent would face a long battle to raise morale across ranks and fight pressing crime issues, said Ken Glare, who led the force from 1987 until 1992.
"There was so much dissatisfaction, dissatisfaction with the quality of leadership, that members are just leaving in droves," Mr Glare told AAP on Friday.
Victoria Police was hit with two leadership shake-ups in the past week with Chief Commissioner Shane Patton resigning on Sunday after a no-confidence vote by rank and file officers.
Deputy Commissioner Neil Paterson, whose role will officially end when his contract expires in July, left on Thursday.
"Whether Nugent takes over or someone else, they will have a Herculean task to turn it around, because without finance, without getting the numbers up to a reasonable level of force, they're coming from a very low base," Mr Glare said on Friday.
"It's at such a low end when you have, as I understand, over 800 members on sick leave. That's a symptom of something radically wrong."
He pinpointed Victoria's tobacco wars, which has involved dozens of cigarette shops being set on fire over the past year, as a major policing concern.
"I don't understand why there hasn't been an enforcement effort made, because when police walk to the premises the evidence is sitting on the shelves and under the counter," he said.
Opposition spokesman for police David Southwick said Mr Paterson's departure was a symptom of the state's ongoing battle against youth crime.
"The Allan Labor government's crime crisis, blame game continues," he said.
Statistics released in December showed crimes by children aged 10 to 17 had reached their highest levels in Victoria since 2009.
Southbank resident Natascha Johnson has been in Australia for two years and says she has felt extremely safe.
"I hear about loads of crime, but I haven't seen any," she told AAP.
But she wasn't aware of a change at the top of Victoria's police force.
"Hopefully he does a better job than the last guy."
Craigieburn petrol station worker Kanwal has heard stories from friends and family impacted by crime, including stories about tobacco shops in his area going up in flames.
"I have no idea about (the new commissioner). I have no idea about his past record or what he's done before, so I'll hope for the best," he told AAP.
Mr Paterson's exit comes after 37 years in the force.
"Neil has been a strong advocate of many issues and has dedicated so much of his life to policing," Mr Nugent said.
Mr Paterson had oversight of regional operations along with the state emergencies and support command.
In November, he was referred to the state's anti-corruption commission, over an alleged road rage incident outside the city campus of Haileybury, a private school, in July 2024.
Of the 14,571 Police Association union members who voted last week on the no-confidence motion, more than 12,600 - or 87 per cent - said Mr Patton should not lead the force anymore.
The leadership upheaval comes after a months-long wage dispute, during which police members demanded a 24 per cent pay increase and rejected an offer of 18 per cent over four years.
Later, a tentative deal involving frontline officers receiving a five per cent a year raise for four years and other officers 4.5 per cent a year over the same period, was struck by the union.
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