Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) recently published a performance update regarding the turnaround times for criminal record checks within England and Wales.

Their current average time taken to process all applications is:

Enhanced Criminal Record Disclosure – 12 days

Standard Criminal Record Disclosure – 1.5 days

Basic Criminal Record Disclosure – 1 day

They state that referring your application to the police is the main cause of delays. They go on to say that although the police force’s performance remains strong, some forces are processing work outside the normal expected timescales.

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So, why do checks go to the police?

For an Enhanced criminal record check, the Disclosure and Barring service (DBS) sends applications to police forces if your name matches an individual in police systems. Consequently, if you share a name with someone else, local forces outside your local area may review your application, even if you have only ever lived in one location.

Throughout the process, the police may need to gather information from other organisations. Checks may also be delayed, when information is missing, unclear or incorrect on their application form. When this happens, it will create a flag and the application will come back to DBS to clarify the information by contacting the employer, Registered Body or applicant. This will inevitably delay the DBS criminal record result.

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Recommended next reads

If there is a name match on the Police National Computer (PNC), or against the data held by a police force or law enforcement agency, the DBS will send the application to the relevant body for review.

If there is no conflict, the police force or law enforcement agency will check for any information they hold that is relevant to the specific workforce type the applicant is applying to work in. For example, Child Workforce or Adult Workforce. If the applicant provides no information, they must return the application to the DBS.

If an enforcement agency holds any applicant information, it will assess the information’s relevance to the workforce type. The police will decide if the information is relevant and should be disclosed on the DBS certificate.

Enforcement agencies must still review the information before deciding what to release on your DBS certificate. These checks take time, especially when multiple police forces are involved.

Enquire now for your criminal record check.

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