By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

ACTING Chief Passport Officer Nicholas Symonette said the Passport Office had recorded a significant decrease in complaints and delays, with customer service issues declining by almost 80 percent.

He said this figure was based on the amount of passports produced within a specific timeframe. The published time frame for processing applications is seven days, and he said his office has consistently exceeded this.

“For the most part, the Passport Office has been performing exceptionally efficiently compared to the previous period, and time frames are adhered to, provided that the applicant turns in the documents required,” he said when The Tribune contacted him yesterday.

He said security measures have been strengthened, partly due to connectivity established with various ministries and agencies. He said the Passport Office developed an audit section that collaborates with all agencies and the police to eliminate fraudulent documentation.

In July, Mr Symonette indicated that passport applications increased following the government’s introduction of DNA protocols prompted by last year’s landmark Privy Council ruling, which established that children born to Bahamian men are citizens at birth under all circumstances.

He noted that DNA test results go directly to his office from laboratories abroad, enhancing security.