Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check

Police checks are performed by computer systems which run your name and details through police databases in search of a match. This generates an automatic pairing with police history records. This can be a speedy process for many applications, but for others it can be more complex. If the computer is unable to generate a result with certainty, your application may require manual processing.

Manual processing is when your application must be checked and assessed manually, by police authorities. This can be a timely process, and will add more time onto the process.

If a match is found on the database, or your name and details match another person of interest, it will be flagged for further review. A true match must be confirmed, and the computer system is not always able to confirm this conclusively, so people are needed to investigate the matter by hand.

There are multiple reasons for why your Police Check is delayed and takes longer than the average 1 hour. Around 30% of police check applications are sent for further review by the National Police Checking System.

Common reasons for why a police check result might take longer than expected are the following.

Common Names

If the applicant has a name which is relatively common in Australia, it is possible for it to flag matches to information in criminal records belonging to other individuals with the same name. This takes the system more time to establish if you are the person in question, or if you must be excluded from being a person of interest.

Old Information

The information on police record systems should be regularly updated. However, outdated information may still exist on police records. If the applicant’s data has not been updated effectively, this may require the applicant’s information to be gathered and assessed manually by police authorities.

Issues With Police Records

Any problems with the information held on police records can cause delays to your results. If information on the system is found to be incorrect, inaccurate or incomplete, it will have to be fully investigated before the results of a police check can be established.

Transfer Delays

The National Police Checking System works by giving police agencies and ACIC accredited providers across all states and territories in Australia access to criminal history records. In order for this to work successfully, information must be transferred and shared between different states and territories. For various reasons, some agencies may take longer to pass on information, and this will result in delays to your application.

Workload

Sometimes, there are unprecedented levels of police check applications being submitted in Australia. As with every application, it must be managed correctly and meet all requirements as set out by the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission. Police check applications must not be rushed, and this means that a heavy workload for individual police agencies can cause delays to police checks as they work through applications.

An Elite Screening Australia a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check is remarkably cost-effective. Without leaving home, printing a single piece of paper or paying for postage, you can get a full check securely emailed to you as soon as we receive the result.

Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check – $50.00

Volunteer Police Check – $23.00

All checks include GST

If you have any further questions, please see our comprehensive FAQs page here for more details. Feel free to reach out if you need any additional assistance!

If you run a business and are looking to partner with Elite Screening Australia, please contact our business team.