Vienna to have strong police presence during New Year Eve celebrations

The Austrian capital is to witness a sizeable police presence during New Year's Eve celebrations in light of recent warnings over potential terror threats.

Police spokesperson Roman Hahslinger said Wednesday a contingent of more than 500 task force personnel would be on duty in the city center where hundreds of thousands of people are expected to gather to celebrate the arrival of 2016.

"The task force personnel have been instructed to pay attention to particular situations, to particular types of objects and behaviours," he said.

He said along with personnel from the Vienna police and special forces units Cobra and Wega, 250 uniformed officers from other states would also be deployed to ensure public safety in Vienna during New Year Eve celebrations. Personnel will also be paying special attention to sensitive areas outside of the city center, such as transport hubs.

Hahslinger advised attendees to only take what is "absolutely necessary" to the celebrations, noting that those carrying larger items such as backpacks would likely be subject to police inspections.

Meanwhile, the police are reportedly no closer to getting to the bottom of the terror warning received at Christmas from what was stated to be a friendly intelligence service. The warning contained the names of seven suspects, but Austrian police say it is still unclear if they are in fact real individuals, as they have no further clues. Endit