The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) delivers the National Police Checking Service (NPCS) in collaboration with Australian police agencies. This service provides a nationally coordinated criminal history check, enabling individuals and organisations to obtain a comprehensive police check that covers recorded criminal history across all Australian states and territories.

Key Features:

• Facilitates over 5 million police checks each year across Australia.
• Provides a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check often required for employment, Australian citizenship applications, appointments to positions of trust, licensing, and registration schemes.
• Manages a partially manual, name-based process involving multiple police jurisdictions to ensure thorough and accurate results.
• Accredited bodies can submit checks on behalf of individuals, typically organisations that process a high volume of checks.
• Approximately 70% of checks are processed and returned within minutes, while around 30% require manual intervention due to complexities such as common names, old records, or inter-jurisdictional verification.
• Does not guarantee strict turnaround times due to factors like workload, record accuracy, and complexity of cases, but escalates delays to the relevant agencies when possible.

Use in Background Checks

The NPCS is widely used in background checking processes to:

• Employment Screening: Employers across various sectors use the service to verify applicant criminal history and ensure workplace safety.
• Licensing and Registrations: Regulatory bodies require police checks as part of eligibility assessments for licenses and professional registrations.
• Positions of Trust: Essential for roles involving vulnerable populations or high responsibility, ensuring candidates meet legal and ethical standards.
• Citizenship Applications: Required for certain government processes, including Australian citizenship applications.
• Volunteering: Helps volunteer organisations assess suitability and maintain safe environments.

Why Choose the ACIC National Police Checking Service?

• Nationwide Coordination: Provides criminal history information consolidated from every Australian state and territory police agency.
• Authoritative Source: Delivered by the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, ensuring reliability and integrity of the information.
• Accredited and Secure: Collaborates with accredited bodies with equal system access, promoting a secure, confidential, and standardised checking process.
• High Volume Capability: Efficiently handles millions of checks annually, supporting diverse organisational and individual needs.
• Transparent Process: Explains potential reasons for delays and maintains communication through escalation procedures.
• Accessibility: Offers services for individuals checking their own records as well as organisations managing employee checks.