Premier John Brumby announced this week that the current 24-hour bans would be tripled, enabling police to prevent intoxicated revellers causing trouble in city streets for entire ntsalong nteweekends.

In addition, $234 on-the-spot fines introduced last December, will be doubled, allowing police to sting drunken revellers with penalty notices close to $500.

Ballarat police Senior Sergeant Tim Argall said both measures were welcome and he believed the extended banning period would be more effective.

"The 24 hour notices are good but 72 hours will give us a bit of extra time,'' he said.

"What we are finding is that sometimes, we can ban someone at 10pm Friday and technically by midnight the following night they can go out again.

"This will give us a lot more flexibility to keep them out for a whole weekend.''

Ballarat police have issued the second highest number of banning notices in regional Victoria since the powers were introduced in August 2007.

According to Victoria Police statistics, the city's officers issued 41 notices between 19 December, 2007 and 31 December, 2009, second only to their counterparts in the La Trobe Valley, where 63 notices were issued.

In the same period, Geelong police banned 16 troublemakers, Bendigo 20 and Warrnambool 9.

Premier Brumby said the two new measures would further crack down on alcohol-fuelled violence.

"Victorians want to enjoy a night out free from troublemakers,'' he said.

"We are extending banning notices and doubling fines for drunk and disorderly conduct to make our nightclub precincts safer.''

Since police were given the power to issue on-the-spot fines last December, Ballarat officers have issued more than 50 drunks with $234 fines.

"These $234 fines are being doubled to send an even stronger message to troublemakers and to hit them where it hurts - in the hip pocket," Premier Brumby said.