The Dunedin City Council is to deploy city safety officers to keep an eye on youngsters during the school holidays.
Two officers will patrol the central city each week day from 2pm to 6pm, from April 14-24, as well as continuing regular shifts on Friday and Saturday nights.
Council customer advocate Adrian Blair said the officers would pay particular attention to George St, the Octagon and Princes St, as far as the Exchange, as well as the Dunedin Public Library plaza and surrounding areas, he said.
School holidays were a busier time of year in the central city, although activity could be "weather dependent", he said.
The officers regularly dealt with inquiries from the public, as well as talking to those behaving inappropriately, when required, and liaising closely with police and other agencies, he said.
"If there's an inappropriate behaviour going on they will intervene at a low level.
Obviously, if there's any issues . . . they would call the police," he said.
The city safety officer programme has been running since late 2004, when a three-month trial was launched, and usually involved a team of two officers patrolling the city centre on Friday and Saturday nights during summer, he said.
However, the officers could also be called in for special occasions, such as school holidays or major one-off functions in the city, he said.
The programme cost the council $40,000 a year, he said.
This summer, council records show the officers had just over 2100 "contacts" with members of the public, ranging from giving directions to dealing with inappropriate behaviour or contacting police.
