How Police Checks And Background Screening Minimise Personnel Disasters

"HR policies within your organisation are part of an important framework to make

sure that hiring mechanisms are achieving the best possible outcomes for your organisation. However, in our discussions with business stakeholders, we are regularly alarmed at how many otherwise competent people forego police checks and turn a blind eye to the risks that they run when bringing people inside their organisation.

Whether you are hiring permanent positions, making use of contractors or giving temporary access to your work site or information to an outside party you must take steps towards preserving the well-being of your organisation and your staff. Police checks are an crucial first step in this process.|You have a responsibility for the safety and well-being of your other employees when recruiting permanent, contractor or temporary staff. Your senior management also expect that you will consider the best long term interests of your business. Police checks are an importantfirst step in this process.|Police checks are an vital first step in the hiring process. Whether you are hiring permanent positions, employing contractors or giving short-term access to your premises or information to an outside party you must take steps towards safeguarding the integrity of your secure systems and staff well-being.

The direct cost of white collar crime and fraud to Australian businesses runs into billions of dollars each year and the principal contributor to these expenses is fraud. It has been reported by The Australia Institute of Criminology that fraud accounted for 40% of the crime related losses shouldered by businesses in 2005. Surveys of frauds that were reported by organisations project the average cost per incident at approximately $36,000 for minor fraud and nearly $1 million for serious fraud cases.

This sum only takes into account the direct property losses and does not report other indirect costs including the loss of productivity in managing the fraud itself, disturbance to normal business practices as they are improved to avoid a recurrence, or the cost of re-hiring and training replacement staff.



So, what should management do to reduce their exposure to theft or fraud within their organisation? Firstly, managers must observe that criminals with a history of fraud are often more at ease lying to the next employer during the interview and application. If their history includes convictions for such crimes there is higher probability that they will make the effort to aggressively conceal their prior convictions. A straightforward and inexpensive police check would provide evidence of an applicant's police record - ordinarily within 24 hours.

Our recommendation to business owners is that they should be carrying out police checks across the board for all prospective employees. Unfortunately, there is an increased chance that a person with a criminal past will re-offend. Economically, it makes no more sense to forego police checks than it does to neglect insurance on your business.We advise companies to standardise on the practice of conducting police checks without exception for all prospective employees. The price paid by the victim of crime versus the price of prevention should be a persuasive argument for anyone who examines the data or the emotional effects of the fraud on their business. Economically, it is as hard to justify the decision to neglect police checks as it is to let insurance cover on your business lapse.Unfortunately, there is a high statistical likelihood that a person with a criminal past will re-offend. We advise companies to standardise on the practice of conducting police checks universally for all prospective employees. Economically, it makes no more sense to forego police checks than it does to disregard insurance on your business.

Many managers quote convenience and security concerns when choosing how to carry out police checks. A skilled background checking company can offer online ordering and delivery of police checks. You should also keep in mind that your use of the results of a police check is governed by the Privacy Act within Australia so the supplier you select should also be able to cater for secure and confidential access to check results with your management team.

Police checks are the easiest and least expensive protection you can obtain. They are a cost effective fundamental step in preventing potentially significant losses within your organisation."

by: Melissa Knowles

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