Police will install 15 sets of surveillance cameras in Mong Kok next month to help fight crime.

It's part of a wider plan to install more than 600 CCTV cameras across Hong Kong by the middle of this year.

In a paper submitted to the Legislative Council on Friday, the Security Bureau said police have identified areas with high crime rates and pedestrian flows.

It noted that CCTV cameras are used in many other places, including the mainland, Japan and the UK, and have been shown to have a significant deterrent effect on violent and serious street crime.

The paper also stated that CCTV footage can assist police officers in investigating crimes and bringing the culprits to justice.

It said the cameras will be installed on government buildings and lampposts, adding that they will only record in public places and won't have any tracking function at this stage.

All videos recordings will be automatically deleted after 30 days, but law enforcement officers will be able to duplicate the footage if it's useful to an investigation.

The police are studying the use of artificial intelligence in the CCTV system to aid law enforcement, according to the paper.

Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk said last month that 2,000 surveillance cameras would be installed across Hong Kong by the end of this year.