The story appears on

Page A3

May 4, 2016

GET this page in PDF

Free for subscribers

View shopping cart

Related News

Home » Nation

Buon giorno! It’s Chinese policing ... Italian-style

CHINESE police have joined Italian officers on the streets of Rome and Milan in an experiment aimed at helping tourists from China feel safe, according to Italy’s interior ministry.

The experiment is the first of its kind in Europe, China’s ambassador to Italy, Li Ruiyu, said at a meeting to announce the project.

The four Chinese officers are wearing the same uniforms they wear at home so their compatriots can easily recognize them. They speak Italian and English as well as their native Mandarin.

More than 3 million Chinese tourists come to Italy every year, Liao Jinrong, director general of the Chinese International Cooperation Bureau, told reporters.

Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said: “This service was planned with Chinese tourists in mind, and if it works well we may consider other forms of collaboration, given the presence of the Chinese community in our country.”

He hoped the collaboration would lead to further agreements, and also be extended to other Italian cities, because “China has a fundamental role in the world’s destiny.”

“Through this initiative, we are telling Italian citizens that their state is joining hands with a great country, in teamwork to ensure the safety of everybody, including Italian citizens and Chinese tourists in Italy,” the minister said.

The officers will share information with Italian police and help Chinese tourists if they need to contact local authorities and diplomats during the trial period, which ends on May 13.

Liao said the officers’ assignment was a “historic moment,” recalling that a route between China and Italy had been mapped out 700 years ago by Marco Polo.

He praised the initiative as “the result of a very positive collaboration between Chinese and Italian police forces.”

In recent years, he said, business and cultural exchanges had become frequent, and smooth communication with police forces was a fundamental ingredient to ensure safety.

Gennaro Capoluongo, head of the international police cooperation service in Italy, said: “We feel proud to be the first country in Europe to undergo such an important collaboration program with China.”




 

Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.

沪公网安备 31010602000204号

Email this to your friend