Police tightens security with sand trucks for countdown in Times Square

Many gather in Times Square in New York city to count down to the New Year. [Photo/Xinhua]

NEW YORK - The New York City Police Department (NYPD) deployed 65 sand trucks and 100 blocker vehicles to guard against vehicular terrorist attacks on Saturday, as up to a million revelers gathered in Times Square to celebrate the new year.

The measures were unprecedented even though there were no direct terrorist threats against the iconic ball-drop ceremony, according to the NYPD.

The sand trucks, each weighing 20 tons and filled with an extra 15 tons of sand, could be seen at every street corner, blocking traffic routes to the vicinity of Times Square.

Approximately 7,000 police officers were also assigned to patrol the streets on New Year's Eve, including heavily armed counterterrorism units and bomb-sniffing police dogs.

The terrorist attacks in Nice, France and Berlin, Germany in the past year prompted New York city authorities to enhance security. Both attacks were carried out by trucks driven into crowds of people, resulting in multiple casualties.

Many revelers expressed their trust in the counterterrorism measures.

"There's really good security in terms of police being around and actively walking around and paying attention to everybody's movement," said Meghan Zammiller.

"There are thousands of police officers on duty, I'm not at all concerned about safety here," said Luo Hongzhi.