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Understanding grows through joint patrols

By Cao Yin | China Daily | Updated: 2018-10-23 09:43
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The first joint patrol of Chinese and Italian police officers in Rome, Italy, on May 2, 2016. Jin Yu / Xinhua

Deng Pan, a police officer in the Beijing Public Security Bureau's exit-entry administration, was excited to talk about her 20-day joint patrol in Italy earlier this year. She considers the experience a life-enhancing treasure.

Deng and nine other Chinese police officers in four groups went to Rome, Milan, Venice and Prato from May 28 to June 17 to participate in patrols, with the aim of helping Italian police solve cases involving Chinese tourists or local Chinese residents.

The idea emerged in 2015, when China and Italy signed a memorandum of understanding about setting up joint patrols in tourism spots in both countries to face rapidly increasing travel between the countries in recent years. It was the first such agreement between China and another country.

"We opened a special hotline for Chinese tourists to make reports during the patrols in Italy, and all the reports were handled by the Chinese police because we had no language barriers and could also clearly explain Italian laws and judicial procedures to people," Deng said.

Unlike the previous two patrols in Italy in 2016 and 2017, Deng and her fellow officers took on another task this year: helping Italian police connect with local Chinese enterprises and Chinese communities to educate them about security requirements.

"We were like a bridge between the Italian police and local Chinese," Deng said.

Wang Shaofeng, an exit-entry officer from the public security bureau in Beijing's Fengtai district, remembered a Chinese student he met during his patrol stint in Rome last year.

"The student looked at us for some time as we patrolled around the Colosseum. When she was sure we were Chinese police, she rushed to ask for help," Wang said. "She was anxious because she had lost her passport and had difficulty explaining her suffering to the Italian police."

After the Chinese police communicated with their Italian counterparts, the student contacted the Chinese embassy and the case was eventually solved.

Both Wang and Deng speak English, but Deng also speaks Italian. People with foreign language ability occupy an important place in international cooperation, the bureau said.

The patrol in Italy provides an opportunity for Chinese police to better understand how Italian police work, Wang added.

Deng concurred. "When I arrived in Italy and worked with the Italians to solve cases, I came to understand both their law enforcement and legal culture - information that was hard to grasp at home," she said. "The better communications we have, the more cooperation we will have in the future."

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