Italian Police Officers Seen Patrolling The Streets Of Athens

Stay connected to Greek City Times for Free on Google News
Click NOW

Greece and Italy launched  joint police patrols in Athens and Rome under a 2025 agreement aimed at strengthening public security and assisting citizens and tourists.

The first joint patrols involving Greek and Italian police officers are now underway in Athens, marking a new stage in the growing security cooperation between the two countries.

The initiative forms part of a closer operational partnership between Athens and Rome aimed at tackling organised crime, terrorism, drug trafficking and other forms of cross-border criminal activity, while strengthening security for citizens and visitors.

According to the Italian Embassy, Italy’s Service of International Police Cooperation (SCIP), which operates under the Central Directorate of Criminal Police of the Department of Public Security, coordinates the program.

During the first phase, Italian police officers are working alongside members of the Hellenic Police in Athens. The joint patrols focus on areas of the capital that attract large numbers of tourists and experience particularly high visitor traffic.

The officers aim to provide immediate assistance to visitors while also strengthening their sense of security as they move around the city.

Implementing the 2025 Greece-Italy agreement

The joint patrols implement the Memorandum of Cooperation signed in May 2025 by Italy’s Minister of the Interior, Matteo Piantedosi, and Greece’s Minister of Citizen Protection, Michalis Chrysochoidis.

The agreement seeks to strengthen public order, improve the prevention and combating of crime, and make communication easier between police authorities and citizens from the two countries when they are in each other’s territory.

Italian Ambassador to Greece Paolo Cuculi welcomed the two Italian police officers participating in the joint patrols in central Athens.

The meeting took place in the presence of the Director of the Athens Police Directorate, Brigadier Nikos Giannopoulos.

Cuculi thanked the leadership of the Hellenic Police for its close cooperation and for the warm hospitality extended to the Italian officers.

He said the joint operational presence on Athens’ streets provides practical evidence of the close relationship between Greece and Italy and their shared commitment to protecting citizens and visitors.

The Italian ambassador also expressed hope that the model will expand and strengthen in the coming years, creating a framework for even closer cross-border police cooperation.

Greek police officers also patrol Rome

The cooperation works in both directions.

A corresponding operational program is already underway in Rome, where Hellenic Police officers conduct joint patrols with members of the Italian Police.

The patrols aim to strengthen security in the Italian capital, provide better assistance to Greek visitors and further deepen cooperation between the two countries’ police forces.

The Greece-Italy initiative therefore extends beyond a symbolic partnership, establishing a practical model for police forces from the two countries to work together directly on the streets of Athens and Rome.

The joint patrols are being introduced during the summer tourist season, with the programme expected to serve as a model for further cooperation in the coming years.

Stay updated with the latest news from Greece and around the world on greekcitytimes.com.
Contact our newsroom to share your updates, stories, photos, or videos. Follow GCT on Google News and Apple News.