A worker installs a piece of security equipment on a lamp post on a bridge over the Charles River in Boston, Massachusetts July 2, 2013, in preparations for the city's Fourth of July celebrations- Photo: Brian Snyder / Reuters

Security will be tighter than ever in several U.S. cities during Independence Day celebrations this week, which will see some of the largest public gatherings in the country. Security officials said they would deploy record numbers of police and install scores of new surveillance cameras and checkpoints around fireworks displays, concerts and other Fourth of July events in public places. Police will be provided with the necessary equipment to quickly detect any potential materials used to make bombs. The National Explosives Task Force (NETF) meanwhile said it has urged fireworks sellers in the U.S. to report any buyers who raise suspicions, because fireworks can be potentially be used to make bombs.