The Fire Service has noticed the most dramatic drop, with 87 "nuisance" fires (rubbish or furniture fires) recorded in the campus area this year, compared with 226 the previous year and 269 in 2006.
Deputy Chief Fire Officer Trevor Tilyard, of Dunedin, said a major push to improve student behaviour had paid off.
"In years gone by, we would have been run off our feet . . . but hopefully the culture of all this nonsense is changing."
Rubbish collection by the council and the increased presence of Campus Watch staff and police officers were behind the reduced frequency of fires.
Mr Richardson said: "What is happening is a cultural change as people understand what the university takes seriously.
''We take fires seriously as they damage property and they pose a serious risk of injury or loss of life."
Campus Watch, which began in February last year, is a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week operation employing 50 staff who patrol the campus area and look after the security of the university, plus performing some other custodial roles.
Members were finding younger students were more receptive to the idea of Campus Watch and more aware of their boundaries than older students.
The total number of thefts reported to proctor Simon Thompson by Campus Watch members dropped from about 80 last year to 42 this year. Mr Richardson attributed part of this drop to Campus Watch working with police.
At the start of the year, each of the five Campus Watch teams was linked with a police team and worked matching rosters throughout the year.
This meant relationships could be built and police could trust the members with whom they were dealing.
For example, a Campus Watch member saw a man he recognised from police mug shots leave a flat with a laptop, he questioned the man and then called police, who discovered the laptop was stolen.
Police were able to return the laptop to the student, who had been asleep the whole time.
Police figures on theft and wilful damage in the campus area also show a reduction from 84 offences in 2006, to 42 last year and 32 this year.
Mr Richardson said more students were taking the option of using Campus Watch to walk them home, a feature which was introduced last June and means students can ring Campus Watch if they feel unsafe walking by themselves.
About 84 people used the service this year, a number he expected would increase as more people knew it was available.
Violent offences in the campus area had dropped only slightly (from 20 to 18), but instances of issues with glass and rubbish had decreased significantly.
The only negative side of the relationship with students and Campus Watch was the use of the service as a "political platform" by pro-marijuana reform group Norml, he said.
Members of Norml held protests and threatened to storm the Campus Watch office over treatment of its members by Campus Watch staff.
Mr Richardson said the Campus Watch teams continued to "evolve" to become more efficient.
