THE NUMBER of closed-circuit safety cameras will almost double in ACT entertainment districts this year as new police figures show violence is on an upward trend.

But there are fears many more cases go unreported and unaccounted for, according to those on the front line: ambulance officers, youth workers and victims themselves.

During a special Sunday Canberra Times investigation a youth worker from Multicultural Youth Services, which operates a drop-in centre in Civic, said young people were often reluctant to report incidents to the police due to fear of authority or a belief that the police would do nothing. The youth worker said young people regularly came to the centre seeking help after being involved in a fight.

''Once a month they'd come to MYS asking for help to seek medical advice or legal advice. They come here to get help going to the right doctor, the dentist, to go to the police or court and get a restraining order against the person,'' she said.

Young people had been attacked when leaving their workplaces to go home, at the Civic bus interchange and in clubs.