Police in Shanxi province were asked to make self-checks to ensure that neither they nor their relatives have false household registrations, especially after a senior police officer named Fan Hongwei in Changzhi was found to have six fake IDs for himself.

Fan, former deputy director of the public security bureau in Changzhi, was removed from his position on April 25.

Li Zeqing, discipline inspection officer with the provincial public security department, told China Daily on Monday that he could not provide any information about the investigation because it was still underway.

And he refused to answer questions about the procedure for checking out the false ID cards held by police in the province.

Following a February order from the Ministry of Public Security, local police have required all the police offices in the province to check whether any police officers or their relatives as well as other residents have more than one household registration and ID card. Those who use false household registration, or hukou and ID cards and refuse to correct this will be punished according to the relevant regulation or law.

China has very strict requirements and procedures on the applications and issuance of ID cards, so fake IDs are often a hot target for police investigations.

Thus, the fact that police officers use fake IDs is especially unusual and has stirred public outcry.

Chinese citizens who want to apply for IDs should take certificates including birth certificates and household registration to local public security departments, said Wu Mingan, law professor from China University of Political Science and Law.

However, insiders said some police officers in charge of household registration and senior officers can bypass the standard processes to make IDs for friends, relatives and leaders, or just for bribes.

Dai Peng, director of the criminal investigation department under People's Public Security University of China, said that "the occurrence of such a case was mainly attributed to his abuse of power to cross over normal procedures to apply for many IDs".

Li Xiaowei, research associate with the social sciences research institute under the Shanxi provincial academy of social sciences, said that while China has mature and strict household registration management, there are still loopholes.

"In general, those who have false household and ID cards certainly have hidden secrets which they were scared to let others know," Li was quoted by Xinhua News Agency as saying.

Dai said the key is to conduct thorough household registration reform to promote people's reasonable movement across the country, and further narrow the gap between urban and rural areas to make people enjoy the same social welfare benefits.