Fernando Giorgi, Italian Carabinieri policeman joining in the 2018 Sino-Italian joint patrol

Since the beginning of the reform and opening-up policy, the friendly relationship between China and Italy has continued to develop with increasing cooperation and exchanges in various fields. According to the Memorandum on Joint Police Patrol signed by the Ministry of Public Security of the People’s Republic of China and Italian Ministry of Interior, the Chinese and Italian police have implemented a program on joint patrol in two countries. Particularly Chinese police officers have been to Italy to undertake joint patrol three times respectively in May 2016, June 2017 and May this year. In turn, in April 2017, four Italian police officers patrolled in Beijing and Shanghai with Chinese police officers for the first time. This year, eight Italian Carabinieri policemen visited Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Xi’an for a new round of joint patrol from July 16 to 27.

How do these handsome Italian policemen feel about patrolling in China? And how do they view such cooperation? We were honored to have Mr. Fernando Giorgi from the Italian Gendarmerie Army General Command, who is joining in the patrol in Shanghai, to share his firsthand experience.

International Shanghai and incredible Chinese police

Fernando attending the opening ceremony of the second Sino-Italian joint police patrol on the Bund

Before the interview, Fernando and his Italian colleague Giovanni had just finished their patrol on Golden Street in the Changning Gubei Community. This was the first time for Fernando to visit China and he showed great appreciation for the internationalization of Shanghai. “We have been patrolling Shanghai for about ten days including several major residential, commercial or tourist areas. I saw numerous shops along the streets with a rich array of commodities and among them many are imported goods,” Fernando said with excitement. “And there are plenty of foreign restaurants. We’ve already tried hometown dishes here in Italian restaurants.” Besides these more familiar delights, the enthusiasm of Shanghai citizens has impressed him a lot. “During our joint patrol with Chinese fellow police officers, many citizens we came across asked where we are from initially. Once they knew we are Italians, they all smiled and showed their great interest in Italy. All of these clearly show that Shanghai is very open and friendly to foreign culture and people.”

Fernando and his colleague communicating with a local resident in English

According to Fernando, the Sino-Italian joint police patrol’s purpose is mainly to serve Italian tourists here by solving their problems or answering their inquiries. In spite of its service nature, this cooperation also provides a rare opportunity of exchange and mutual learning for the Chinese and Italian police. "The Chinese police are of high quality and well-equipped. For example, a mobile police light is worn on the right shoulder, aiming to let residents find them more easily when patrolling. This small detail shows their consideration for the people.” Fernando was full of praise for the Chinese police. For better communication, the two Chinese police officers assigned to participate in the joint patrol can both speak fluent Italian. This made Fernando and his colleague more satisfied with the treatment they received here in Shanghai.

The Chinese and Italian police officers patrolling the Bund together

For the construction of an international metropolis, security comes first to Shanghai and transnational police cooperation has also greatly promoted Shanghai's urban security level and city image. Many foreign tourists said joint police patrols made them feel that Shanghai is a safe city. Fernando couldn’t agree more. “No doubt Shanghai is quite safe. However, since a great number of foreigners live here, transnational police cooperation is indispensable. In addition to our joint patrol, the information exchange is also necessary for combating transnational crimes.”

Chinese police going abroad

Chinese police conducting joint patrol in Croatia

Friendship cannot stand always on one side. Before Fernando’s arrival, the Chinese police had been to Italy three times from 2016 to 2018. After specialized training, they participated in  joint patrol in the main tourist areas or Chinese communities of Rome, Milan, Florence, Naples and Venice, even setting up a Chinese police hotline during the time. In recent years, with the growing number of Chinese tourists in Italy, the probability of being robbed has also increased. These Chinese police officers may bring a sense of security to comfort tourists better.

What’s more, the Chinese police could be found also in other countries. This July 6 Chinese police officers conducted joint patrols in Dubrovnik, Zagreb and Plitvice Lakes National Park with the Croatian police. Earlier in August 2016, China's first tourist police detachment from Sanya, Hainan Province, debuted in Moscow’s Red Square. During the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, tourists also had chances to meet the Chinese police on Rio’s streets.

In a manner of speaking, the two-way transnational joint patrol not only shows the professionalism of the Chinese police, but also a new diplomatic landmark to demonstrate China’s opening-up.

Transnational police cooperation demonstrating China's influence in globalization

When asked for his view on such transnational joint police patrol, Fernando said, "Globalization has broken the boundaries of countries, making the exchange of personnel and commodities more and more frequent. Personally I believe international police cooperation is the only approach to solving global security disputes. This joint patrol could be a good start for further cooperation.” In fact, Fernando adds that in addition to such patrol, the exchanges between two countries’ police departments at all levels are more frequent on the purpose of joint investigations or information exchange.

Just as Fernando said, transnational police cooperation can be viewed as a microcosm of globalization and the only route to solve global security problems. The reform of China’s public security work is exactly focusing on how to strengthen international police cooperation. So far, the Ministry of Public Security has established direct bilateral police cooperation with 83 countries or regions, arranged regular working meetings with the interior police departments of 31 countries, signed nearly 300 documents, assigned 49 police liaison officers to 27 countries, and sent more than 2,300 Chinese peacekeeping police officers to eight UN peacekeeping mission areas. Moreover, some Chinese police officers are now working as senior staff members in the UN Peacekeeping Force. In other security relevant international organizations such as the International Criminal Police Organization and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Chinese police are also playing an increasingly important role.

Through this international police cooperation, China can not only learn from others' strong points to better tackle increasingly rampant transnational crimes, but also show the image of “a responsible world power”. Angelino Alfano, a former Italian Interior Minister, made a nod to this idea by claiming that China plays an important role in the world and the joint patrol shows the Italians that Italy is now working hand in hand with such a world power like China to protect everyone’s safety.

Fernando's wishes for China

Best wishes to the Chinese and China’s opening-up

"China is a country with thousands of years of culture and so is Italy. The fabulous achievements China has won since the reform and opening-up, along with the hospitality and diligence of the Chinese people, have always attracted me so that I’ve been expecting such a journey for a long time. And the unforgettable experience here didn’t let me down.” At the end of the interview, Fernando, who was about to finish this joint patrol, further expressed his expectations and wishes for the bright future of China, “China is destined to continue reforming and opening-up which may lead to more cooperation between the Chinese and Italian police. I wish this great country and kind people all the best.”