Most police checks occur before a person is employed by a company but in some cases, an employer may ask an existing employee to provide one. The first question that usually comes to mind is "Why am I being asked for a police certificate?" It's a good question and it’s important to understand the company's point of view and why it’s asking for a police check to be conducted.

National Police Checks

When a national AFP police check is done the person's name is entered into a system to see if there is a history of any crime related to this individual. The search involves looking for any crimes committed by the person in all parts of the country. It is a government service that is provided to organizations and individuals for work-related reasons, voluntary work, or registration purposes.

Why Do Employers Ask for Police Certificates?

In most cases, a company will ask employees to get a police certificate to avoid any type of legal liability in the future. This is especially true for industries that have employees working with vulnerable groups such as the elderly or children. Should anything occur that is outside the control of the company, the business can prove that it did its own due diligence by requesting a police certificate.

Employers also want to know that the person they are hiring is someone that can be trusted. Potential new employees along with existing employees that have a record of past fraud, theft, or other criminal activities may pose a huge risk for the company. Many businesses have experienced common crimes such as accounting fraud, bribery, cybercrime, corruption, and theft and do not want to leave themselves exposed to any risk of this occurring again.

Police Checks Are Good for Business

Companies must be able to vouch for the overall trustworthiness of their workers. Clients want to know that they can trust the person that is stepping into their homes. This is why companies offering cleaning services, home repairs, and installations may ask their employees to get a police certificate. It's good for business and puts the clients' minds at ease.

Some industries also must adhere to mandatory regular background checks of employees. An AFP police check must be performed regularly to search for a criminal history that may not have shown up in previous ones.  Other industries ask for police certifications to be updated as a proactive approach to mitigate risk.

Employers have the duty of protecting their property, their employees, their clients, and their overall reputation. The best way to do this is to take a look at a person's background history to see whether or not they pose a risk to the company. Employees that have had a background check performed that shows a history of criminal activity may dispute the results if they feel that they are incorrect.

You can apply for a criminal check with the national police force in the country where you currently reside or in any other country where you may have lived in the past. This is the best way to show potential employers that you would be a trustworthy employee and are worthy of being hired.