LOS ANGELES, March 24: Security precautions have a starring role at this year’s Oscars, with Hollywood’s biggest-ever clampdown tightened a notch or two in the final hours before Sunday’s awards ceremony.

Hundreds of uniformed and plain clothes police were visible in the streets around the Kodak theatre, site of Sunday’s event, some with sniffer dogs, some on bicycles, yet others perched on surrounding rooftops.

Snipers will be in place ahead of Sunday’s ceremony, while stars and their guests will be obliged to pass through metal detectors before entering the theatre.

The Academy has hired 200 more security personnel than last year, and officials said security staff would search the undercarriages of all automobiles for explosive devices.

And for the events before, during and after the Oscar ceremony, the airspace over Hollywood will be closed to all but Los Angeles Police Department helicopters, officials announced.

The September 11 terrorist strikes occurred a continent away in New York and Washington, but the tragedies were never far from the minds of the Oscars’ organizers.

“This is the biggest security operation we have seen in Hollywood,” said Leron Gubler of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.

“The Oscars, like any event of this magnitude, could obviously be a potential target,” he said. “They attract worldwide attention from the press, so the bad guys could also look at such an event that could give them publicity,” Gubler said.

The ceremony at the Kodak Theatre marks the first time that the Oscars event is to be held at the new Hollywood home specifically designed for the Academy Awards. But the location brings complications, especially in the area of security.

For one thing, Hollywood remains a somewhat seedy and densely-packed neighbourhood making surveillance complicated. For another, the centre is located on busy Hollywood Boulevard and is surrounded by shops, hotels and restaurants.

A youth hostel offering prime views of the red-carpeted area where stars will arrive ahead of the show has evicted its guests to make way for police and federal agents.

A road closure encompassing about 15 blocks went into force Saturday both to ensure the security of the area and to make sure that the stars’ limousines can sidle up to the red carpets without delays.

The Hollywood subway station was to be shuttered Sunday to divert traffic from the area, while local reports said that police snipers would be posted on buildings around the Kodak Theatre.

Academy spokesman John Pavlik said the primary reason for the road closures was to allow workers to set up the area for the biggest show in Tinseltown.—AFP