You will have read much about the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) of late, many of the comments being critical.
You'll no doubt have wondered what the security industry is letting itself in for!

At the recent Consultative Panel meeting, at which the BSIA was represented, the backlog and delays associated with the CRB were the main topics of conversation. There's no doubt that the present situation has been seriously affected by the political 'imperative' to have all new school staff vetted as soon as possible.

While there have been systems problems, the CRB is now pursuing more checks than all the police forces have ever done. More staff are being taken on to increase the volume still further. However, the introduction of the Basic Disclosure – the one that will be available to all security staff until the Security Industry Authority comes into operation for the regulated sectors – will not be available until 2003. Until then, the police will continue to issue their checks.

One point to stress is that the Basic Disclosure will only be available to the individual applicant, and not to a company or vetting agency. Don't believe anyone who says otherwise!

Source

SMT

Postscript

Stephen Adams is the customer relations director at the British Security Industry Association, and represents the BSIA on the CRB Consultative Panel