Canada’s public safety minister is urging partygoers to be “alert and aware” while attending New Year’s Eve celebrations, as security is beefed up in cities at home and around the world.
Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said in a statement that while there is no new information regarding a specific security threat “our security and police authorities are always vigilant and will take all possible steps to keep Canadians safe.”
WATCH: New Year’s celebrations from around the world
“Every individual should also be alert and aware of their surroundings – especially on big public occasions like New Year’s Eve,” Goodale said.
The recent terror attacks in Paris and San Bernardino have led to increased security in major cities like New York, London and Brussels.
WATCH: Toronto ramping up security ahead of New Year’s Eve
In Toronto, there will be more police officers out on the street at outdoor events like Nathan Phillips Square.
Toronto police were mum on the exact number of increased officers, but encouraged people to come out to the citywide events.
“They should go out and feel comfortable and enjoy the celebrations,” said Const. Allyson Douglas-Cook. “We do have more officers out tonight than we usually do and we still consider it a safe city.”
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Vancouver will be holding its first public New Year’s Eve event in more than a decade and police will be out in large numbers.
Sgt. Randy Fincham, with the Vancouver Police, said they’ll be ready for anything tonight that could include unruly crowds.
“We’re very hopeful that people will come down with the right intentions, coming down to enjoy themselves, coming down to enjoy everybody’s company,” Finchman said. “We’d hate to see something happen tonight that would deter another event or another community gathering that would take place in the future,” Fincham said.
In New York City, around a million people are expected to converge on Times Square for live music acts and the descent of a glittering crystal ball from a rooftop.
New York Police Commissioner William Bratton said earlier this week the police department plans to deploy nearly 6,000 police officers and members of a new specialized counterterrorism unit.
In Paris – a city still reeling from a series of terror attacks that killed 130 people in November – its annual fireworks display on the Champs-Élysées was cancelled and Brussels also called off its official celebrations citing security concerns.
READ MORE: 6 more detained in Brussels in suspected holiday plot
About 11,000 police officers and soldiers will patrol Paris Thursday night as part of a total of 60,000 law-enforcement officers dispatched throughout the country, the Associated Press reported.
Belgian police arrested six people in Brussels on Thursday after an investigation into an alleged plot to carry out an attack in the city. Earlier this week, two other people were arrested on suspicion of preparing attacks on “emblematic sites” in the Belgian capital during New Year’s festivities.
In London, Scotland Yard said there would roughly 3,000 officers across London, including an increased numbers of armed police.
*With files from Tom Hayes and Nadia Stewart
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