STORY: Zagreb police chief hails joint Chinese-Croatian police patrol
DATELINE: Aug. 8, 2023
LENGTH: 00:04:00
LOCATION: Zagreb
CATEGORY: POLITICS/SOCIETY
 
SHOTLIST:
1. various of joint police patrol of Croatian and Chinese police officers at the center railway station in Zagreb
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Croatian): VELIMIR TISMA, Head of the Prevention Service at the Zagreb Police Department
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): QI QIANJIN, Chinese Ambassador to Croatia
4. various of tourists in Zagreb
5. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): LONG MEIYI, Chinese tourist
6. SOUNDBITE 4 (English): BETTY XIE, Chinese tourist
7. various of a Chinese police officer showing security instructions in the Chinese language
8. SOUNDBITE 5 (Croatian): BOZENA HAJOIN, Zegrab resident
9. SOUNDBITE 6 (English): EDWARD CURRAN, British tourist
10. various of tourists in Zagreb
11. SOUNDBITE 7 (English): VID DORIC, Local tour guide
12. various of tourists in the city center
13. various of Croatian and Chinese police patrolling in Zagreb
 
STORYLINE:
 
A joint police patrol of Chinese and Croatian police officers will not only promote safety and security in Croatia's popular tourist destinations, but also help promote bilateral cooperation and relations, said Velimir Tisma, head of the Prevention Service at the Zagreb Police Department, in a recent interview with Xinhua.
   
"As in previous years, this year we expect the joint Chinese-Croatian police patrol in Croatia will help achieve the goal of the Safe Tourist Destinations project, which is to provide maximum security for Croatian citizens and foreign tourists during the tourist season," said Tisma, who has been in charge of the joint patrol of Chinese and Croatian police officers.
 
SOUNDBITE 1 (Croatian): VELIMIR TISMA, Head of the Prevention Service at the Zagreb Police Department
"This year the project involves at the national level 22 police organizations from 19 countries with 101 foreign police officers, which is a record number for this project."
 
Joint police patrols since 2018 have boosted the project and provided safety for Chinese tourists in Croatia. During their patrols, Chinese police officers can directly help Chinese tourists if they are in trouble or in need of help, Tisma noted.
 
The joint police patrol this year, which will last for one month, is being conducted in Zagreb, Zadar, Plitvice Lakes National Park and Dubrovnik, all of which are major tourist destinations in Croatia.
 
SOUNDBITE 2 (English): QI QIANJIN, Chinese Ambassador to Croatia
"We believe through the joint exchanges, relations between the policemen and the two countries will be further strengthened. Definitely, China is a peaceful country, as well we treat Croatia as a good partner and a real friend."
   
SOUNDBITE 3 (English): LONG MEIYI, Chinese tourist
"They can help us with many things and we can do anything here and enjoy our vacation."
 
SOUNDBITE 4 (English): BETTY XIE, Chinese tourist
"I think it is a cool idea because it makes tourists more safe and more tourists will go here for travel. It is a good idea and I support it."
 
SOUNDBITE 5 (Croatian): BOZENA HAJOIN, Zegrab resident
"I saw foreign police officers in the city, and I feel as safe as when I see Croatian police officers."
 
SOUNDBITE 6 (English): EDWARD CURRAN, British tourist
"Sounds like a good idea to me. I feel like there would be a lot to learn, I think, kind of in both police departments working together. I know it would probably help, help to have some different perspectives on how to make the city safer, how to help Zagreb improve. That sounds good to me."
 
SOUNDBITE 7 (English): VID DORIC, Local tour guide
"So those joint patrols in Zagreb are actually a very, very good thing because we're having this for a couple of years already. And tourists are always reacting very, very good when they see familiar faces, when they see people who can speak their own language. Especially this goes with Chinese tourists, with Korean tourists, because when you can see someone who is familiar with the familiar uniform, they're of course feeling much, much safer. And this is a great project because they are working together with Croatian policemen and Croatia is one of the safest destinations for tourists in Europe. And as a local, it's always glad to hear that and we are super proud of those things."
 
According to an agreement signed between the two sides in 2017, joint Croatian-Chinese police patrols are expected to continue in the future, Tisma added.
 
Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Zagreb.
(XHTV)