NYC in ‘cross’ hairs

Pope security woe

Keeping Pope Francis and the throngs who turn out to see him safe while the UN General Assembly is also in town will be the toughest job the NYPD has ever tackled, Police Commissioner Bill Bratton said Monday.

“We believe that this event is going to be the largest security challenge the department and this city have ever faced,” the top cop said during a press conference at 1 Police Plaza, with reps from the Secret Service, FBI and other lawenforcement agencies involved in the operation.

“In addition to the pope, we will have 170 world leaders in this city . . . That’s 90 percent of the world leaders in this city at one time,” Bratton emphasized, while maintaining the city would be kept safe.

Speaking at the same event, Mayor de Blasio heaped praise on the NYPD.

“We have the finest police force anywhere in this nation, anywhere in the world right here in New York City,” Hizzoner said. “This police force has seen it all and will be ready for it all.”

But Bratton repeated concerns about Francis’ habit of mingling with the masses.

“We’d keep him inside a bubble if we could,” Bratton said. “[But] we’re very comfortable that we’ll be able to meet his needs and meet our needs.”

Asked if authorities knew whether the pope plans on using mass transit, Robert Sica — head of the New York office of the Secret Service, which is in charge of security for the pontiff ’s visit — appeared stricken.

“We hope not,” he said after a moment’s pause.

The comments came after a daylong “tabletop exercise” at Police Headquarters involving city, federal and other lawenforcement agencies, meant to see if the combined agencies had the resources to handle multiple crises at once.

Various scenarios were simulated, amongst them a backpack bombing in Times Square, an IED targeting a diplomat at a Broadway hotel — and, jokingly, an asteroid hurtling toward Earth.

Additional reporting by Michael Gartland