Chinese and Italian police officers pose for a group photo during the launching ceremony of the joint patrol between Chinese and Italian police held in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, June 26, 2019. (Xinhua/Huang Guobao)

GUANGZHOU, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Police in Guangzhou, the capital city of China's southern Guangdong Province, launched a joint patrol with their Italian counterparts on Wednesday, aiming to help address safety concerns of Italian tourists.

The joint patrol, which will last until July 5, marks the first time that Guangzhou police patrolled with their Italian counterparts. It is the third such exercise between Chinese and Italian police in China.

Two Italian police officers joined the patrol with local police in popular tourists spots and major roads in the city. In accordance with the bilateral cooperation document, the Italian police officers will not carry firearms or police weapons but will assist Chinese police with advice.

The Italian police have sent eight police officers this time to patrol with Chinese counterparts in four Chinese cities, namely Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing and Guangzhou.

The joint patrol is reciprocal. Since May 2016, China has sent three groups of police officers to patrol streets in Italy. Italian officers were first invited to jointly patrol Beijing and Shanghai in April 2017.

The fourth batch of Chinese police will leave for a joint patrol in Italy in September.