China has renewed its deployment of riot police in Haiti, with its eighth 125-strong squad arriving in the Central American country and the seventh returning home.

The seventh squad, also with 125 members, returned home Monday morning in Urumqi, capital of northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. They came from the border police of the Xinjiang Public Security Department.

Zhang Daning, commissar of the seventh squad, said the riot police had conducted armed patrols, rescued hostages and captured gang leaders and other criminal suspects since last August.

The squad had "played an important role in improving the security situation in Haiti," said Zhang.

China's eighth riot police squad arrived Saturday in Haiti. They will join the peacekeeping mission over the coming eight months.

China has participated in UN peace-keeping missions in Haiti since October 2004.

(Xinhua News Agency June 15, 2009)