The Hawaii County Police Department is set to put out bids next month on a surveillance system that will place security cameras in downtown Hilo, the Hawaii Tribune-Herald reported.

The idea is to help improve public safety in the Big Island community, especially for tourists who flock to the shops, eateries and outdoor market from buses and cruise ships.

A $400,000 grant from the Hawaii Tourism Authority will also fund an undetermined number of cameras in Pahoa, Akaka Falls and Kailua-Kona.

Exact locations have not yet been decided. But police, the Downtown Improvement Association and local merchants have collaborated on a list of hotspots where surveillance is especially needed in Hilo.

They include the parking area of the downtown bus stop, the adjacent bandstand area and along Kamehameha Avenue, said association director Sam Pulu'ole, who said there are a lot more problem areas than there will be cameras.

July is the target date to have the cameras mounted and running, Pulu'ole said.

Hilo will be the second East Hawai'i town to use surveillance cameras. In 2005, 16 cameras were installed in Pahoa as part of the Pahoa Weed and Seed Project to deter criminal activity there.