China plans to scrap its controversial temporary residence permit in a move that analysts believe is a transition toward a more relaxed household registration system, according to a public security reform plan approved by central authorities and released Sunday.

The abolition of the permit is part of a comprehensive public security reform that also vows to improve law enforcement responsibility and boost the welfare of the police force.

It is said to be the first comprehensive public security reform launched by the central government with vice public security minister Huang Ming saying that the reform aims at "addressing the fundamental and deep-rooted structural problems faced by the police force."

Permanent residence permits will replace the much-criticized temporary residence permit, according to the plan approved by the authorities, reported the Xinhua News Agency.

Observers hailed the move as progress toward optimizing China's labor market by allowing young workers, whose numbers are dwindling, to migrate freely across the country.

The permit has led to instability and unsettlement and the temporary residence registry system is no longer suitable for today's situation, Xinhua said.

The hukou, or household registration system, was introduced in the 1950s and ties access to social benefits and services to residential status.

Temporary residence permits are issued to a person who moves to a city or other areas for longer than a stipulated period, which varies according to region. The permits are essential documents when the person has to apply for a passport or travel permit to Hong Kong and Macao.

Many cities in China have already ended the temporary permit system, but Beijing currently still uses it.

The level of public services  residents can access will depend on the duration of residence, according to the public security reform plan.

"[Removing temporary residence permits] is a transition toward a more relaxed hukou system … The current system has provided convenience for the police in managing migrant workers. It has also been a source of income for the department. But it has not brought as much benefit to migrant workers, as even with the permit, they can't access social programs," Hu Xingdou, a social science professor at the Beijing Institute of Technology, told the Global Times.

Peng Xizhe, dean of the School of Social Development and Public Policy at Fudan University, told the Global Times that in the next two decades, China will face a labor shortage. Implementing the new system of permanent residence could optimize the labor force by allowing workers to freely migrate across the country.

Peng believes to achieve maximum impact from the reform, it needs to be supported by other sectors, including reforms to social security, healthcare and to the national college entrance examination system. Currently, these benefits are unavailable to temporary urban residents, who must take on the extra expense of returning home if, for example, they need to be hospitalized.  

Public security reform was listed as a focus by central authorities last year as part of China's rule of law drive.

The plan pledges to improve the police's management system as well as their remuneration package to "a level above local officials and slightly lower that military officers." 

Ouyang Zhihui, a policewoman in Baokang county, Hubei Province, told the Global Times that despite her 20-year experience in the police force, her monthly salary is only about 3,000 yuan ($483), which is around 200 yuan higher than civil servants of the same level in other government agencies.

Another police officer based in Chongqing, who requested anonymity, told the Global Times that while she usually works an eight-hour shift, she often has to work for 24 hours straight at least twice a week. Many of her colleagues have already quit due to the heavy workload, long hours and low pay.

The police force needs salary reform to retain talented people, an observer of the public security system, who requested anonymity, told the Global Times.

"With rapid social development and increasing incidents of terrorism in recent years, the police force suffers from low morale caused by intense work pressure, low salaries and a negative public image," he said.

The Chinese police will also establish an accountability system for officers, according to the public security reform plan.

The plan also pledges to improve law enforcement responsibility, the corrections system, and establish life-long accountability for erroneous cases.

It added that, to ensure accountability, investigators should take responsibility for the cases they investigate. In addition, it called for changes to the way in which police handled cases to prevent miscarriages of justice and the use of torture to secure confessions.

The police will be required to film and record all interrogations in criminal cases.

The proposals, as listed in the public security reform plan on Sunday, also include a mechanism to hold China's 2 million police officers to account for the cases they handle, and plans to better manage evidence gathering.

Xinhua contributed to this story