At least eight of the new hi-tech cameras had been installed, Dunedin City Council customer advocate Adrian Blair said yesterday.
The cameras are part of a new $200,000 project that will allow activity in the Octagon to be monitored from the Dunedin Central police station 24 hours a day, starting from November.
The camera system will be tested early next month.
Dunedin City councillors will consider a set of principles developed for the appropriate operation of the system in terms of the requirements of the Privacy Act, in the first week of August.
They would also examine police guidelines for CCTV operators at that time, Mr Blair said.
Once the cameras are operational, footage will be recorded continuously and they will be actively monitored by police from time to time during the day, and full time by volunteers on Friday and Saturday nights.
CCTV operators will be trained in September and the camera system will go live in November.
