As of Saturday, if you walked or drove past a bar in Brockton, MA, there is a good chance you were being watched. As of Saturday, all Brockton restaurants, bars, and clubs that serve alcohol after midnight were required by the city to have a video surveillance system installed.

The License Commission approved Mayor Bill Carpenter’s proposal in July. The initiative is aimed at helping combat violent crime in the city.

The mandate is part of a three-pronged surveillance strategy by the mayor that also includes asking businesses on main roads to voluntarily install cameras.

“We’ve had some good results. I met with the president of the HarborOne Bank on Legion Parkway and he said they would put two outside cameras looking at each direction down Legion Parkway,” Carpenter said. “Brockton Community Access have agreed to put cameras on all four sides of their building, as well.”

“The great thing about the video surveillance cameras is that they’re on 24/7,” Carpenter said. “We don’t have enough police officers for a city our size. One of the ways we maximize the officers we do have is by embracing 21st-century technology. We can’t have a cop on every corner but we can have a camera on every corner.”

Carpenter has also required convenience stores and other businesses open between 1 and 5 a.m., to install systems similar to those mandated for alcohol establishments.