By Zhang Minjiao

A costal metropolis of much significance and the southern gateway of China,Guangzhou serves,as ever,a hub along the "Belt and Road".For years it has ranked among the top cities in China in terms of the number of exit and entry permits issued.

Responsible for issuing outbound travel permits to Chinese citizens and providing related consulting services,the Second Branch of the Exit and Entry Administration Office of Guangzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau was established in October 2012.The branch is an administrative unit with a staff of 14 regular police officers and 21 auxiliary officers.The last few years have witnessed the branch top many lists in China,for instance,in the number of exit and entry permits issued,digitalization of services,the diversification of channels for citizens to apply for permits,and the number of service reservations received.Therefore,the Branch has been honored with quite a number of awards,including "China's Most Satisfactory Civil Servant Body" "China's Exemplary Public Security Organ in Caring for Citizens" and "China's Outstanding Community-Level Public Security Organ" .Representatives of the police officers of the Second Branch have been granted two audiences with national leaders.

Less Is More

At one point,a senior citizen left a message on the reception desk,saying:"There is an abundance of self-service machines,but many elderly people are functional illiterate or simply intimidated." In response,the police officers invited the technical department to widen the viewable areas of the screens and enlarge the font.They also paid a visit to the senior resident and invited them for a personal experience of the upgraded devices.Deeply touched,the senior exclaimed,"You have really taken citizens' words to heart."

To address the problems of inconvenient traffic and insufficient parking space,the Second Branch made an all-out effort in 2021 to get authorized to make a comprehensive improvement to the hall by relocation,redesign and rebuilding.

The Branch adopted the philosophy of "less is more" to streamline the service procedure.

The first objective is "less time".All services are made available on the same floor,with specially designated personnel offering guidance in the service hall.Thanks to this arrangement,all visitors spend less than 10 minutes to get their business done on entry.

The Chief of the Second Branch Xiong Minyi found that many seniors had trouble using a smart phone to show a health code in order to enter the service hall during the pandemic.To address this issue,she turned to a digital services company to develop a smart,AI-powered system for pandemic control.With this system,seniors can now produce the health code by swiping their ID cards instead of scanning a QR code with their smart phone.This solution has brought great convenience to the elderly who are not adept at using smart phones.With the thumbs up,many seniors expressed their gratitude,"I have problems using my mobile phone,but now I can get a health code in less than two seconds by simply swiping my ID card.It's amazingly convenient!"

The second objective is "less trips".The Second Branch has been working hard on the integration of online and offline services.For instance,they offer precise and complete guidance via the service hotlines at 12345 and 12367 on how to apply for exit and entry permits.They aim to inform applicants of everything necessary for the application,so that they can get the services they need in no more than one trip.Some services are even available through two-way express delivery,thus dispensing with the need to even physically visit.

The other day,a girl student from Hong Kong rushed into the service hall for help,as the pandemic prevented her from going back to Hong Kong to renew her expired Home Return Permit.Chief Xiong kept the matter in mind after getting to know the ins and outs of her situation.One month later,superior authorities released a policy that allows residents of Hong Kong to renew their travel permits in the Mainland.Xiong immediately contacted the girl's family and informed them of the news.What a relief to her!.

A citizen diagnosed with a kind of cancer known as intrahepatic cholangio carcinoma arranged to travel for surgical treatment in Japan,but the patient could not physically go to the service hall to renew his passport.Shortly after receiving the call for help,the Branch arranged for experienced staff members to beat a path to the door to handle the application.

The third objective is"less paperwork".Interdepartmental data sharing now enables citizens to apply for services with much less paperwork.

The fourth objective is to "subtract" service charges.Services like photocopying and self-help photography are supplied at no charge to reduce even the smallest hassles for citizens.

Meanwhile,more services are provided to the citizens.

The first objective is "more intelligent" services.To that end,various types of self-service devices are equipped in the service hall to offer citizens full access to the digital and intelligent services in the exit and entry administration.

The second objective is "more efficient"services.For that purpose,a service room especially for enterprises has been set up in the service hall to facilitate the business registration of enterprises incorporated in Hong Kong or Macau.From 2021 onwards,up to 495 people from 320 enterprises of this kind have been provided registration services by specially assigned staff at exclusive counters,while 471 people from 179 enterprises have obtained on-the-spot registration services.

The third objective is "more considerate"services.Tea and drinking water are prepared for visitors during the business hours.Amenities like a baby care room,barrier-free washrooms,and convenience stores have been added as well.These considerate services have won the Branch more than 100 letters of commendation and over 10 banners of praise from citizens in the past two years.

These measures,more or less,have greatly improved the quality of the services to the locals.

On top of that,the Branch has also built a police service supervision mechanism to engage more ordinary people in improving service provision.Through this mechanism,the Branch studies public suggestions monthly and convenes review meetings regularly to identify shortcomings and figure out solutions to optimize the services.

Making police services more intelligent for citizens' convenience

For years,Guangzhou has been among the topranked cities nationwide in terms of the number of permits issued,which,in turn,has posed increasing requirements for the exit and entry administration.To meet these challenges,the Second Branch has amped up efforts to design and develop 15 types of highly efficient self-service facilities for permit applications that China has never seen before,including easy-to-operate devices for travel permit applications and endorsement.Additionally,a citywide network of 274 self-service outlets for permit applications has been established to enable the 24-hour availability of the services irrespective of the business hours of the service hall,which has garnered praise from the public.A "smart cabin"has also been launched to facilitate applications for and renewal of exit and entry permits for residents registered in Guangdong,so that they can receive their permits in as little as five minutes.

At the same time,the Second Branch has also created innovative ways to apply for permits.For instance,the Branch was among the first of its kind to launch the online reservation service so that the arrivals of applicants are staggered,reducing their waiting time in the service hall.A "virtual service hall" has also been created,and application channels have been opened via text messages and WeChat,among other digital channels,making it possible for citizens to apply for exit and entry permits even from home.

Moreover,a special mini program has been developed and incorporated into multiple mobile apps such as WeChat and Alipay,making the application possible at the fingertips.Previously,it took up to 30 days for a citizen to obtain an exit and entry permit after application,but now some of services are available upon demand.Previously,residents had to visit the service hall several times,but now just one trip is enough or even none at all.

Working as an anti-pandemic stronghold

Since the COVID-19 outbreak,the Second Branch has widely publicized and thoroughly carried out new policies for exit and entry administration,and strictly implemented the antipandemic measures in the service hall.A green channel to issue outbound travel permits has been specially opened for certain travel destinations and travel purposes,which has helped enterprises resume production and operations while contributing to pandemic prevention and control efforts.

One day in May 2021,two young men came to the service hall for passport application.However,their high salaries being out of proportion to their posts,duties,and education background,among other factors,placed the police officers on alert.Chief Xiong invited them both to her office for further conversation,which led her to believe that they could be deceived into joining an overseas telecom fraud ring.The police officers immediately and patiently gave them sound advice on the possibility of telecom fraud.These conversations made the two young men aware of risks and prevented them from falling into the trap."The Guangzhou police saved our lives," the two young men reiterated gratefully.

While the Second Branch vigorously put in place anti-pandemic measures laid down by authorities,it also set higher standards than required to fight the pandemic while ensuring the availability of services,successfully serving the double purposes of safety and convenience.The Second Branch has also worked to bring forward publicity and education to the public.In the service hall,a promotional video about anti-fraud and antigambling is played repeatedly.Flyers of this type are handed out.Furthermore,regular channels are made smooth to fulfill normal needs for services,while special measures are taken to prioritize special or emergency needs,in a bid to ensure the essential outbound travels for the purposes of studying,medical treatment,and business.The Second Branch has created a green channel for medical establishments,with specially assigned personnel at exclusive counters responsible for endorsing and issuing exit and entry permits for medical staff,to facilitate their engagement in the anti-COVID battle in Hong Kong.