Hundreds of glamorous girls in miniskirts mix with broad-shouldered men in tight shirts in a stumbling parade along London Circuit.

Some are on their way to the next nightclub, some to urinate in dark corners, and a handful to catch an early taxi home.

Amid the revelry, five police officers move purposefully through the crowd. Their presence attracts stares. Drunk girls stop to pose for pouty photos with the male constables, while teenage boys quickly hide open bottles from sight.

Others lob insults and drunken jests well within earshot of the officers as they pass.

Tonight, the five officers of the city beats are led by Hilda Sirec, a promising young sergeant well regarded across the force for her investigative prowess. When they are walking the beat, Sergeant Sirec, along with the other team sergeant, Mick Serbatoio, feel a sense of ownership over Canberra's CBD.

''When we're there, we look after it,'' Sergeant Sirec says.

Sergeant Serbatoio adds, ''It's our patch.''

The patrol walks a figure eight past Mooseheads nightclub, along London Circuit, up Mort Street, along City Walk and Garema Place, before circling back along Northbourne Avenue.

Along the way, they stop to speak with bouncers, bar managers, regulars, and a steady stream of patrons who approach them with drunken grievances.

For the city beats officer, these talks are crucial. The more experienced officers have an uncanny knack for feeling the mood of the crowds that flock to Civic on summer nights like these.

Sergeant Sirec describes it as intelligence on the run; an ability to plug into the ''vibe of the city''.

The mood here can swing dramatically. At 11.30pm, Sergeant Sirec and her team are focusing on a long line of revellers that stretches from the door to the Academy nightclub, trying to prevent the odd teenager from cutting in.

Just hours later, they will rush to another nightspot, ICBM on Northbourne, where a violent brawl will leave a 26-year-old man in hospital with multiple head fractures and a mouthful of broken teeth.

The city beats team says there is an eerie balance to the size and mood of the crowd over Civic's three big nights.

Sergeant Serbatoio said, ''If Thursday or Friday is a little light on, we know Saturday is going to be big. If Thursday is going to be big, Friday might not be so much and then it balances out on Saturday.''

When big nights do come, the thousands of revellers who descend on the city threaten to swamp the six-member patrol.

But the team is supported by general duties officers from City Police Station, who will quickly respond to calls for back-up.

The beats members are also aided by CCTV cameras throughout the CBD. These are monitored live by staff in the police headquarters at the Winchester Centre in Belconnen.

Any disturbances or fights will quickly be radioed through, and the team will respond.

The city beat is one of ACT Policing's most dangerous roles. Police constantly face the risk of being hit, kicked or spat on while prying youths from one another during brawls.

''Most members on the beats team have copped one or two hits,'' Sergeant Serbatoio says.

''But putting it in context, we are intervening when these people have an altered mindset, are highly emotional and, for that period of time, are highly aggressive.''

And yet, it's not always the threat of violence that most troubles the team.

Its work is constantly in the public eye, and every action is scrutinised by the drunken crowds in the nightclub district.

Most of the time, the city beats officers can deal with abuse, but Sergeant Serbatoio recalls two recent incidents that got under his skin.

The first occurred as he was dealing with a disabled woman, so drunk she could barely control her wheelchair.

''The amount of abuse I copped for picking on a woman in a wheelchair,'' he said.

''She had no friends with her, she was that drunk she could hardly communicate, and as she was rolling her wheelchair her arms were falling off the wheels.''

The second was a similar incident, involving a woman using a walking frame, who was so drunk that she had urinated on herself in public.

As Sergeant Serbatoio tried to place her in a taxi, he was yelled at and accused of bullying disabled people by bystanders.

''When you're trying to look after the more vulnerable people, and your personal integrity is attacked for it, you can go home not feeling so great about it.''

The sense of ownership the city beats team feels over the CBD is what drives them.

Sergeant Sirec says, ''I would be absolutely stoked if I had no one in custody, no offences investigated and everyone got home safely, and everyone was out of town and happy and dealing with their hangovers as best they can.

''That would be my ideal night.''