Police in a western Japanese prefecture have turned to cooling goods to help officers working outdoors fight the scorching heat.

The Wakayama prefectural police officially started a set of measures last week to help prevent officers from suffering heatstroke while on outdoor duty.

The prefecture has seen a heatstroke alert issued for six consecutive days through Monday. Until now, it was up to each officer to decide how to take anti-heatstroke measures.

The prefectural police headquarters started to provide officers working outdoors with neck coolers and to let them to wear one while on duty from Thursday.

The police are also calling on officers to take a rest in police vehicles to cool down and to drink water frequently.

Officers are also advised to buy drinks at convenience stores if necessary while on patrol.

An officer of the Okazaki police box says beating the heat is always a challenge while on outdoor duty in summer. He says cooling goods help him feel better and make it easier to move around.

A senior officer of the prefectural headquarters asks for the public's understanding. He says these steps are essential to protect the life and health of officers who need to work on site even under severe circumstances.