The New York police department is pulling out all stops to prepare for hundreds of thousands of people who will gather in Times Square on New Year’s eve. With Las Vegas still fresh in memory — where a sniper holed up in a high-rise hotel fired down on a concert in October — the police, according to reports, are scouring hotels and skyscrapers and setting up rooftop observation posts.

Workers install Waterford Crystal triangles on the Times Square New Year's Eve Ball on the roof of One Times Square in Manhattan, New York, U.S., December 27, 2017.  

Terrorist threats are ever present in places which are popular holiday destinations. Pictures show workers installing Waterford Crystal triangles on the Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball on the roof of 1, Times Square in Manhattan, New York, and New York police department counter-terrorism bureau members discussing security details on December 28, three days ahead of the celebrations to ring in the New Year. The “abundance of caution”, as James P. O’Neill, New York police chief, put it, has led to a stronger police presence this year than seen in recent times.