(ThyBlackMan.com) Police checks in Australia are available in a fast and efficient way through authorised services like Australian National Character Check. Persons also have the option of going to a local police station however the process may take longer. The simple steps to get an online criminal history check are as follows:
- Enter your contact details and purpose for the check.
- Pay by credit card, debit card or PayPal.
- Add previous residential addresses and identification documents.
- Sign the online informed consent.
- Receive the police check certificate via email, or via hard copy if you requested a hard copy too.
Majority of results are returned to applicants within 1-2 business days after the police check application has been successfully submitted and all correct identification documents have been uploaded.
Getting to know criminal record checks
When attempting to obtain a new job role or position title, it is usual practice for a number of well reputed employers to request a police history check on the new job applicant.
If you’ve not completed a criminal record check in the past, it may be an overwhelming task (particularly gathering all the correct ID documents).
Below we have assembled notes and processes to help persons better understand what a National Criminal History Check is and why it is important for the community and workplaces that they are conducted as part of the hiring process or for ongoing employment.
So what is a national criminal history check?
A National Criminal History Check is a national level check that involves searching, identifying and releasing any relevant criminal history information subject to the spent convictions scheme, non-disclosure legislation which also relates to spent convictions and information release policies.
The police check search process consists of:
- Database search that of a central index containing the names of persons of interest to police agencies all over Australian states and territories.
- The possible matches from the database search are referred to the relevant police agencies for evaluation of the records. This is commonly referred to as manual processing; and
- At the end stage issuing the certificate. A result may either contain disclosable court outcomes or no disclosable court outcomes.
What are the results that may be shown on a National Police Check certificate?
As mentioned above, the criminal history certificate will either show that there are no disclosable court outcomes, or will contain disclosable court outcomes.
The check will contain a summary of the following in the form of an approved template that is provided by the federal government:
- court appearances (if disclosable)
- court convictions and any penalty or sentence
- guilt findings that had no conviction
- Bonds of good behaviour
- Pending or current charges against the person
- Items that may be awaiting a court hearing in Australia
What items will a national police history check not include on the certificate?
Criminal record checks are not permitted to contain information about spent convictions.
A conviction is referred to as being “spent” when it has been removed from the individual’s criminal history record as it has lapsed after a certain time period as is noted in the spent convictions legislation.
State and federal legislation for various Australian states and territories have varying requirements in terms of spent convictions.
As a general rule of thumb, a spent conviction can be referred to a conviction that is older than 5 years (if the individual subject to the check was convicted as a child); or an offence that becomes older than 10 years in all other cases.
Staff Writer; Doug Washington
