Chinese policemen started joint patrols with local police in the Italian cities of Rome and Milan on Monday, a move that observers called a good try at overseas police cooperation, but one that does little to provide better security services for the growing number of Chinese tourists in the Mediterranean country.

In each of the two cities, two uniformed Chinese police officers who can speak both Italian and English will conduct patrols in tourist areas for two weeks starting on Monday, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

"Chinese police patrols in Italian cities are a positive start for a new form of cooperation on police affairs," Wang Dawei, a professor at the Chinese People's Public Security University, told the Global Times, adding that it can also help boost patriotism among Chinese tourists.

Liao Jinrong, director-general of the International Cooperation Department at China's Ministry of Public Security, was quoted by Xinhua as saying that the joint patrols will also help the two countries further understand each other's legal systems.

Though praised by Liao as the result of a "very positive collaboration between Chinese and Italian police forces," the joint patrols have also faced questions about their effectiveness in fighting crime.

"For Chinese visitors, the two Chinese policemen might only help answer questions and primarily play the role of translators," a Chinese-Italian Rome resident surnamed Liang told the Global Times on Tuesday.

"It doesn't seem possible to provide a sense of security to Chinese visitors by only deploying two policemen in a city. What matters the most in ensuring their sense of security in foreign countries is local police," Wu Boxin, a Beijing-based expert on criminal psychology, told the Global Times.

Calling the move a good attempt by China to promote overseas police cooperation, Wu noted that there is now greater demand for such cooperation as China's tourism and trade exchanges grow rapidly.

Chinese visitors made over 1.5 million trips to Italy in 2014, with the number expected to have climbed to 4 million in 2015, Cristiano Radaelli, special commissioner of the Italian National Agency of Tourism (ENIT), said last year, news site china.com.cn reported.

The joint patrol is the first of its kind to be carried out by Chinese police in Europe, Liao said, adding he hopes it will set an example for collaboration on similar initiatives with other European countries.

In 2014, Chinese and French police considered conducting joint patrols in Paris in order to handle an increasing number of crimes targeting Chinese visitors, including robberies, an official from the Chinese Embassy in France told the Global Times on Tuesday.

However, the joint patrols failed to materialize due to opposition from the French side, said the official.