Bar and nightclub patrons could be monitored by police on a 24/7 live feed under a plan to crack down on a series of venue firebombings, sparking concern from experts and privacy advocates.
Hospitality venues will be able to access a $10 million government fund to beef up security measures, including linking CCTV live feeds directly to Victoria Police headquarters.
A further $5 million will be invested to upgrade the State Command Coordination Centre to handle this work.
"This is about us trying to send a message that we'll have as many eyes out there as we can," Police Minister Anthony Carbines told reporters on Tuesday.
Melbourne's nightclubs, bars, adult-entertainment venues and their owners have been rocked by 37 firebombings, home invasions, kidnappings and shootings since April 9, with at least 42 arrests and 200 charges laid.
"To disrupt and dismantle organised crime, we need to continue to bring the latest technology to bear," Mr Carbines said.
A consultation period will begin to determine which businesses will qualify for the funding.
The investment will enable police to bring in other agencies and new technologies to complement existing intelligence sources to hone focus on particular locations and prevent recurrence of crime, deputy police commissioner Russell Barrett said.
But the plan has drawn concern from civil rights groups and law and technology experts, who are troubled by the intrusion into the privacy of Victorians.
Mr Carbines said those with nothing to hide have nothing to worry about, and privacy-concerned patrons can choose to attend other venues.
Liberty Victoria president Gemma Cafarella said the plan marks a huge escalation of an invasion of people's right to privacy, citing racial profiling risks.
"People feel and behave differently when they know they're being watched, and it is hugely troubling that these cameras will give police 24/7 eyes into private venues," she told AAP.
A majority of CCTV police access for firebombing investigations takes in after-hours footage from external cameras, but Mr Barrett said parties will have to come to agreements on what access police will have with the 24/7 live links.
"I would be very surprised in the current day if patrons going to licensed premises don't know that there's CCTV monitoring or has the capacity to monitor their activities," he said.
Melbourne Law School law and technology scholar Jake Goldenfein said the announcement could turn police into a pseudo-security service for hospitality venues.
"People are entitled to privacy when they're not doing anything wrong as well," the associate professor said.
He warned the program could move crime in other directions and create risks for operators who choose not to opt into the program on privacy reasons.
"You get a slide into everyone being forced to adopt this program, which gives police really unprecedented access to the goings on of hospitality life in Melbourne," he said.
Opposition police spokesman Brad Battin said the program was a "Band-Aid on a broken leg" and the money would be better spent hiring more police to fill about 1500 vacancies.
