Why Police Checks Must Be The Initial Step In Your Applicant Selection Procedure

As an employer, it is in your best interest to have knowledge of the offence records

of a potential future employee and whether they have been convicted of any offences within Australia. You can purchase the criminal records for you potential employee by ordering a National Criminal History Record Check. This report will list all recorded offences in any state of Australia. If you are particularly interested in traffic related offences it is vital to note that this information may not be listed as part of a police check. A separate traffic records check is available for each state in Australia to order these records. Each state has legislation detailing how and when convictions can be 'spent' or dropped from the public record.

Spent Convictions are offences that may be dropped from the police check results once the individual has maintained a clear record for a specified period of time. Different timeframes are in effect in the various states in Australia with 5 years being the soonest and the longest time being 10 years. The system for asking for your convictions to be spent is different from state to state as well - this process occurs automatically in some states whereas in other states the person of record must make a claim for the convictions to be spent. The option to have a conviction spent is restricted to lesser convictions and serious crimes committed by an individual will remain on their public record no matter how long ago the offence was committed.

Today's online systems make it possible to obtain a police check from home and have electronic access to the criminal background check results in under 24 hours. Results can be shared with interested parties swiftly and securely. It is essential to understand that there are no free criminal checks in Australia and a criminal background check may not be conducted without the express written approval of the person concerned accompanied by 100 points of identification.

Police checks are essential to employers due to the various legal or financial concerns related to employing an individual. You need to take practical steps to safeguard your organisation by knowing exactly who you are hiring and if there is a history of legal issues in their background. Sure, it is possible for anybody to make a mistake but the point is that you, as an employer, are best placed to weigh up the suitability of a applicant once you know all of the facts in relation to their background and can discuss their history openly with them.

While it is necessary and prudent for you to instigate physical security measures for your organisation such as intrusion detection, electronic and computer protection, these systems are intended to safeguard your organisation from an external threat - not someone inside your business. An employee in a position of trust is often part of the security system making 'social engineering' one of the simplest ways to skirt your security systems.

Ironically, a member of staff with a buried past might be forced into committing a crime against you simply since they believe that they will lose their job if that past is exposed to you by a third party. A full and frank disclosure of the details related to an applicant's criminal history brings this information out into the open to establish a basis for a trusting relationship in which everyone knows where they stand.

Police checks are easy to obtain and the report can generally be obtained within a day. Although there is no way to gain access to criminal history information for free in Australia, the expense of ordering a check is extremely low in comparison to the damage that might be done to your organisation due to a mishandled hiring decision.

Depending on the industry that your organisation belongs to, the position you are filling and the roles and responsibilities that are relevant to that place there are a number of additional checks that we would also advocate to ensure that your new employee is well suited to your organisation. Nonetheless, we consistently recommend to every client that they put in place a procedure that includes police checks as a prerequisite to all hiring decisions.

by: Melissa Knowles

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