Four Italian police officers started to patrol the Badaling section of the Great Wall in Beijing on Monday as part of a law enforcement cooperation program between China and Italy.

This is the first time that foreign police officers have carried out joint patrols in China with Chinese peers. During the two weeks from Monday to May 7, the four Italian officers will join their Chinese counterparts to conduct patrols at tourist hotspots in Beijing and Shanghai.

They will work with the Chinese police to offer suggestions to Italian tourists in China should they need police services. The Italian officers will not be armed, and will have to abide by Chinese laws, according to the Ministry of Public Security (MPS).

China already sent four Chinese police officers to Rome and Milan, both popular destinations for Chinese tourists, for joint patrols with their Italian counterparts in May 2016. The idea of the cooperation project is to provide assistance to a rising number of tourists from both countries visiting each other's major sightseeing spots.