Technology has made it that much easier for organizations to protect their staff and the public. Provincial governments have started to introduce criminal record checks as part of the licensing process across industries, security being one.
Regardless of it being or becoming law (depending on where you operate), it is a best practice for a security organization to obtain a criminal background check on any security personnel as part of the hiring process. If you plan to use criminal record check capability to license security personnel, learning the type of check that is acceptable to your provincial regulator is critical.
There are three main types of criminal record checks. The main differences between each are:
1. CRC (criminal record check) – A CRC will reveal criminal convictions and findings of guilt under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
2. CRJMC (criminal record and judicial matters check) – A CRJMC will tell you what is included in a CRC, plus it will include absolute and conditional discharges and outstanding charges, warrants and judicial orders.
3. Vulnerable Sector Check – This includes everything in a CRJMC, plus applicable findings of not criminally responsible due to mental disorder and record suspensions (pardons) for sexual offences.
If your industry is regulated you will want to validate the type of criminal record check that is required, if third party criminal background checks are allowed, and what background check providers are accepted.
Some of these checks are available online while others are not. For example, a Vulnerable Sector Check can only be obtained by going to the police station.
However, if you are allowed to obtain a criminal background check from a third party, CRCs and CRJMCs can be obtained online and this will greatly expedite your recruitment, onboarding and upon renewal of contract.
Many security organizations also don’t realize that choosing the right background check provider for criminal record checks makes it that much easier to get all their background checks in one place. For example, if you require a criminal record check, driver’s abstract, ID verification and a social media background check, background check providers like Triton offer an all-in-one convenient online portal.
Understanding what your team needs so that you can set up the infrastructure to be able to meet those needs expeditiously is vital. With platforms with Triton, the ability to do more online in the same place is so much faster and more efficient.
For more information about criminal background checks for security organizations, please visit www.tritoncanada.ca.
