Athens, 09/01/2006
Your Excellency, President of the Hellenic Republic,
Your presence here today, at the opening of the Central Service of the Passport Division, is a special honor to the Hellenic Police Force.
We think that it is of paramount importance that the Greek state has assigned to us the issuing of the new Hellenic Passports, as a token of its recognition and trust in the Hellenic Police Force.
Let me reassure you that our goal right from the beginning was to:
Make the Hellenic Passports the safest in the world.
In a while you will receive your new passport, which fully complies with this objective. It is the first new passport to be issued by our agency to a Greek citizen.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Since the beginning of this year, the Greek citizens may be provided with the new type of passports by the Hellenic Police Force. These passports fulfill the most sophisticated standards and include safety features in three levels.
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This is quite important, because in this way:
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Greeks find it easier to travel abroad.
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The possibility of passport forgery is close to zero.
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This shall be of great help to the Passport Control Services and the Passport Counterfeiting Services.
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The image of our country abroad is upgraded.
I would like to point out that the new procedure for the issuing of the new passports has been the product of an integrated and carefully planned approach on behalf of the Ministry of Public Order and the Hellenic Police Force.
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We have equipped both the Central and the Regional Passport Services with state-of-the-art facilities and means.
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We have founded 99 Centres for Passport Application and Delivery, housed at Police Agencies in the entire Greek territory.
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We have selected and manned those Agencies properly, with 807 people in total in the entire country, exclusively coming from the Hellenic Police Force.
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We have trained the staff manning those Passport Issuing Services and Offices, so that they become highly skilled and therefore upgrade the effective operation of these Services and Offices.
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In order to avoid damage to other police activities, we increased the number of employees in the Force and hired a similar number of new police agents on top of the programmed recruitment process.
I would also like to point out that the main pillar of our planning is how to best serve the citizen.
For instance:
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The new passports shall be issued within three working days and within one day ? on special cases – from the moment the supporting documents are submitted.
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Furthermore, if the citizen cannot go in person to the Passport Divisions for serious health reasons, a police agent shall visit the interested person to receive the supporting documents and then set forth the passport issuing procedure.
Mr. President,
Let me reassure you that all the right conditions are in place so that the new Passport Division of the Hellenic Police Force can respond in the best possible way to the needs of the Greek citizen and thus, accomplish its mission in a successful manner.
Mr. Head of the Passport Division,
This responsibility belongs to you and to your staff. I am confident that you will make it.
Thank you very much.
