9/11 Anniversary: New York city beefs up security against terrorism

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In the years since the 9/11 attacks, security in New York has been increased. A special 500-strong counter-terrorism unit has been created, along with a special command center to monitor security cameras across the city.

The White House said in the run-up to the anniversary that there are currently no "credible" threats against the US. But considering the recent terror attacks across Europe, is the city prepared for the worst? CGTN's Nick Harper reports from New York.

A twisted girder from the Twin Towers at John Jay College in Manhattan is a reminder of when terrorism stuck the city sixteen years ago.

But the New York Police Department says the addition of more officers, and a focus on counter-terrorism since then has increased the city's security. And experts agree.

PROF. ROBERT McCRIE SECURITY MANAGEMENT, JOHN JAY COLLEGE This is the safest city with over a million population in the United States. There is this spirit of alertness which is at a higher level in this city than in other cities in the United States or in North America."

Most visibly, security in Times Square - the site of 2010's thwarted car bomb plot - has been stepped up. Steel bollards and concrete barriers have been added, to stop attacks using vehicles, like those in the French city of Nice, and at a Holiday market in Berlin.

NICK HARPER NEW YORK "But despite precautions Times Square - like any busy tourist destination in New York - is a potential target. And given the wave of vehicle attacks by terrorists in Europe - it is a location with clear vulnerabilities."

In May, a deliberate, but non-terrorism related car crash in Times Square put the city on alert.

TONY SCHIENA SECURITY EXPERT, MOSAIC "I don't think you can prevent that kind of attack. Lone terrorism is the most difficult thing to combat because anywhere this could happen - it could happen in the streets of Beverly Hills, or in the Midwest somewhere. And it's disheartening when it does happen, but there's no way to really protect from it."

New York officials say they are prepared, in a city where terrorism remains a pressing threat. Nick Harper, CGTN, New York.