Alcohol harm reduction officer Sergeant Keith Newell says the private cameras are providing good footage, helping police deal with early-morning crime.
"It helps protect the staff as well ... It's helping us approach the offending and managers and door staff around here are pretty proactive in helping us."
Sgt Newell said the cameras had not yet deterred offenders, as "the ones who offend don't care".
When approached by the Otago Daily Times, Blair McNaughton, co-owner of popular Queenstown bar the Buffalo Club, said bar operators "would be silly" not to have CCTV.
"Being one of the busier bars in town you do get incidents that happen from time to time and people losing stuff ... If something does happen - for instance, if someone breaks a window - we can get footage of that and give it to police on a USB stick."
Mr McNaughton said the bar had had a CCTV system since it opened six or seven years ago.
Senior Sergeant John Fookes earlier this year said Queenstown's bar cameras were "very useful" and also praised the Queenstown Lakes District Council's proposed CCTV network for the CBD.
Another initiative to fight drunken crime will be launched tomorrow. The Queenstown Bar Safe initiative is aimed at cutting street crime by making it harder for drunken revellers to re-enter bars.
Bouncers will wear high-visibility vests and use integrated radio communications equipment, allowing security staff to alert others once patrons are ejected from, or denied entry to, licensed premises.
Sergeant Newell said it was part of an "ongoing effort to reduce alcohol harm", in conjunction with Lakes Environmental, which recently received $1500 to fund the bright vests.
Bar Safe is based on the "Mellow Yellow" initiative, which began in the United Kingdom and was first seen in New Zealand in Manukau, before being adopted by other towns, including Timaru and Invercargill.
Queenstown Lakes Mayor Vanessa van Uden will on Saturday go out with police to observe the initiative in practice.
"It allows us to come up with a different option that allows us to continue to keep our streets safe but [lets people] continue to have a good time," Ms van Uden said.
"It's a real testament to what can be achieved by working together."
