Police should streamline their work to make it more convenient for people to address problems with their hukou, or household registration, a senior public security official said on Tuesday.

Huang Ming, vice-minister of public security, said at a conference in Beijing that many police officers are rude while helping people apply for hukou.

Police officers must strictly abide by rules and regulations when assisting people, he stressed.

"Unnecessary procedures that frustrate people must be abolished," Huang said, adding that police officers should tell applicants in a clear and friendly manner how to deal with hukou issues.

Police officers who put up obstacles for the public while dealing with the hukou issue must be suspended, he said.

The policies must be publicized, and fees paid must be transparent, Huang said.

The vice-minister also urged that public security authorities should supervise the process of hukou application and prevent the phenomenon of one person's having multiple hukou.