"People seem to be drinking longer and later and harder," Insp Campbell warned.
Funding had been approved to introduce closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in the central city to counter violence and he hoped these would be operational within a few months.
The cameras would help, but closing licensed premises earlier would have the greatest overall benefit by reducing the number of assaults and their seriousness, he said in an interview.
"I definitely favour 3am closing."
The police had approached the Dunedin City Council about two years ago seeking earlier closing, but had been unsuccessful.
"I know that a lot of local authorities around the country are looking at the closing hours.A lot now have 3am closing."
Dunedin tertiary students "get up to more than their fair share of mischief" after drinking, though this usually involved wilful damage offending, rather than carrying out assaults.
But alcohol-affected students often became "easy targets" for assault by others, he said.
Late last week, Christchurch area commander Inspector Derek Erasmus told a parliamentary select committee he wanted Christchurch bars closed by 3am, as police struggled to cope with inner-city disorder, including smashed glass and regular fights.
The Dunedin District Licensing Agency is reviewing alcohol-related policy and will seek reduced opening hours, with proposals available for public comment later this year, agency officials say.
The Law Commission is also undertaking a comprehensive review of the country's liquor laws, taking into account the proliferation of liquor outlets and viewing restrictions on trading hours.
Dr Kypros Kypri, a University of Otago graduate and leading researcher on alcohol-related health issues, is urging the Dunedin City Council to restrict licensing hours to counter serious health concerns, including over student drinking.
Dr Kypri is a research associate at Otago's Injury Prevention Research Unit (IPRU), where he co-ordinates alcohol-related research. He is now a senior research fellow in the School of Medicine and Public Health at Newcastle University, Australia.
After a series of serious assaults in central Newcastle, 3am closing had been introduced in inner-city bars, significantly reducing disorder problems, he said.
New Zealand had greatly liberalised its drinking laws over the years and now had more liquor outlets, per capita, than Australia.
He praised the positive approach which Otago University had taken to university student drinking issues. The university had made "some really important steps", including introducing the Campus Watch system, which aimed to improve safety on campus.
The Otago University Students Association was also making considerable efforts to reduce excessive student drinking, but the city council could do much more, he said.
Alcohol Healthwatch director Rebecca Williams recently praised innovative moves being made by tertiary student associations to counter binge drinking and also applauded research being undertaken by the Otago IPRU.
Tertiary students were "high risk drinkers", who drank more harmfully than their non-student peers, she warned in comments reported on the Tertiary Education Union internet site.
"The consequences include academic failure, injury, poisoning, violence, unplanned pregnancies and unwanted sex."
