Safeguard your staff Protect your culture Preserve your reputation. Guide to police checks for employers

Transcription

1 Safeguard your staff Protect your culture Preserve your reputation Guide to police checks for employers

2 3 CONTENTS Almost 50% of economic crime against a company is committed by internal parties PwC Global Economic Crime Survey How safe is an organisation? 8 rules for a strong police check policy Pre-employment screening What is a police check? Why should my organisation conduct police checks? Implementing a police check policy How does my organisation conduct police checks as part of pre-employment screening? What if I want to conduct police checks on existing employees? Where should I get my police checks from? Additional resources

3 4 5 How safe is an organisation? The 2016 PwC Global Economic Crime Survey found that 33% of orgnisations have experienced economic crime and almost 50% of the incidents of serious economic crime were committed by internal parties within organisations. This kind of crime can cause serious organisational damage on employee morale, productivity, culture and reputation. There is an increased focus on due diligence across all industries as technological advancement and globalisation create new and evolving risks. Many verticals already have mandatory AML/CTF (Anti-money laundering/counter-terrorism financing) obligations and are conducting Know Your Customer (KYC) searches on those they re doing business - but what about internal risk? Most, if not all employers appreciate that they have a duty of care in the recruitment process to ensure safe conduct of business. However, many businesses are unaware of best practice and legislation when it comes to carrying out police checks. You need to protect your organisation s assets and keep your employees and anyone who comes into contact with your business safe and free from harm. In order to prevent corruption and misconduct, it s vital that you continually assess risk factors and have a system in place that limits opportunity for crime. The first step in a robust system is pre-employment screening. What you will learn from this guide Why police checks are important What information police checks include When you should be conducting police checks How to implement a police check process for candidates and existing employees The procedure to follow when a police check reveals a criminal history Risks related to privacy, anti-discrimination and human rights legislation 32% of legal firms have been the victim of crime committed internally Lawyers Weekly and InfoTrack Survey

4 6 7 8 rules for a strong police check policy Define the inherent requirements of each role Create a written policy and communicate it to candidates and employees Understand your obligations under anti-discrimination and privacy legislation Obtain consent before conducting any police checks Disclose the results of a police check before making any decisions. Give the candidate/employee an opportunity to explain their criminal record Decide each case on an individual basis and consider all relevant factors Document your decision-making process and consult legal counsel to minimise risk of litigation

5 8 9 Pre-employment screening All employers should have some form of pre-employment screening in place to conduct due diligence when recruiting candidates. The breadth of this process can vary depending on legislation, industry standards, company polices and various other factors, but prudent employers often conduct a variety of checks including references, qualifications, credit, and police checks, to name a few. The 2014 Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC) Global Economic Crime Survey asked organisations to identify which types of economic crime they had experienced. The most common were: Theft (reported by 69% of respondents) Procurement fraud (29%) Bribery and corruption (27%) Cybecrime (24%) Accounting fraud (22%) Hiring the wrong employee can have serious consequences for an organisation from continued recruitment and training costs due to poor fit or performance, to fraud, harm to reputation and even litigation. Verifying an applicant s background helps you spot potential pitfalls prior to making a job offer and save time in the long run. Police checks are one of the most pivotal parts of pre-employment screening and are increasingly seen as a necessary tool for many employers. In the past, they were most commonly conducted for roles where the applicant would have responsibility for significant resources, access to sensitive information or contact with vulnerable people. However, more and more employers are implementing police checks as part of their standard pre-employment screening to ensure a more rigorous process, mitigate higher risks and further guard against corruption and other forms of misconduct. Knowing exactly who is walking through your doors has never been more important.

6 10 11 What is a police check? A national police check involves identifying and releasing any relevant Australian Federal Police (AFP) information subject to relevant spent convictions / nondisclosure legislation and / or information release polices. The process involves: searching a central index containing the names of persons of interest to police; possible match(es) referred to the relevant police services for evaluation against their records; and issuing a National Police Certificate 58% of lawyers do not conduct police checks before offering employment. What does a national police check include? A police check either indicates that no records are held or contains information obtained from police agencies that is able to be disclosed. What information can be disclosed is determined by each police agency based on legislation and information release policies. A national police check contains a summary of a person s police history information in Australia and usually includes: court appearances court convictions, including any penalty or sentence findings of guilt with no conviction good behaviour bonds or other court orders charges matters awaiting court hearing It is not possible to limit the information requested to specific offences. What does a national police check not include? National police checks do not contain information about spent convictions. A spent conviction is a criminal conviction that has been removed from a person s criminal record because it has lapsed after a period of time. Whether a conviction is spent will depend on state and federal legislation, but generally a spent finding is a criminal offence older than 5 years if convicted as a child, or an offence older than 10 years in any other case. Usually, the police agency that is managing the check will apply its spent convictions legislation or information release policy to convictions recorded within that jurisdiction to determine which convictions can be disclosed Lawyers Weekly and InfoTrack Survey

7 12 13 Why should my organisation conduct police checks? Police checks serve to protect your organisation s employees, productivity, performance, resources, clients, culture and reputation. As an employer, you may be vicariously liable for any dishonest acts that an employee commits whether it is to benefit your organisation or the employee. There are a number of reasons to conduct police checks beyond limiting potential for crime. 1. Protect your culture Respondents in the PwC survey stated the greatest organisational damage they experienced as a result of economic crime was damage to employee morale. Any company with a high performance culture understands that people are your most important asset and employee engagement and morale are the driving factor behind a successful business. It takes a lot to build a strong culture and that needs to be safeguarded. Crime within an organisation can change how the business is perceived internally and cause employees to lose trust in not only the culture but the very foundation of the business. Both existing and potential employees should have a clear understanding of your values and how they shape your culture. A thorough police check process shows how seriously you take your employees safety and encourages an environment of openness, transparency and honesty from the outset. It sets a precedent and shows you don t let just anyone into your business. 2. Attract and retain top employees In order to foster a high-performance culture, you need to not only attract and retain the right people, but those with top talent. Having a thorough and streamlined screening process in place sends candidates the message that your organisation takes recruiting seriously. Employees are reassured when they know that an employer sees due diligence as a top priority.

8 Protect your reputation Reputational damage was cited by 32% of respondents in the PwC survey as one of the gravest consequences of economic crime, and by 57% of Lawyers in the Lawyer s Weekly and InfoTrack survey as the biggest impact of crime. It only takes one person to tarnish the reputation of a company and 32% 57% once that black mark appears it can be very hard to get rid of. Conducting police checks can help you minimise risk and spot and avoid potential opportunities for internal crime. If you re not conducting thorough checks on your employees, you re essentially putting your organisation s reputation into the hands of strangers because you don t really know who your employees are. When you hire someone, they become an extension of your company and should uphold your values. Once your reputation is harmed, it s a long way back up. 5. Save on unnecessary recruitment and training costs The cost to recruit and train employees is significant so ensuring you have the right candidate for the role is important not only from a cultural point of view, but an economic one. If you fail to conduct a police check and later discover that the employee has a criminal history that renders them unable to perform inherent requirements of the job, you not only lose the money you ve put into hiring and training that individual, but will have to invest additional money into replacing them and training someone new. Many studies indicate that turnover cost related to replacing and training an employee can range from tens of thousands of dollars to times the employee s annual salary. It s not only the monetary cost of the advertising, interviewing, screening, hiring and onboarding a new person to consider, but other less tangible effects on the wider organisation including lost productivity, loss of engagement from other employees, and most importantly cultural impact. It s a ripple effect that can have far-reaching consequences across the business. 4. Protect data and assets In the age of information, data is one of the most valuable assets for many companies. According to the PwC survey, cyber crime is now the second most reported economic crime affecting 32% of organisations. Once someone is inside your organisation they often have easy access to not only company data, but data on all of your customers. Your organisation has a huge responsibility to protect that data, and a breach is even more serious with the Australian Government s Notifiable Data Breaches scheme coming into effect in % and 35% of lawyers respectively consider cybercrime and data theft to be the biggest threats to their firms Lawyers Weekly and InfoTrack Survey

9 16 17 Implementing a police check policy If you are implementing police checks as part of the screening process for employees you should develop a written policy outlining your organisation s objectives and obligations in relation to them. This policy should be available to all candidates and employees to refer to during the process and should clearly outline the following: the reasons for conducting police checks your legal rights and obligations and those of the candidate/employee the assessment process followed to determine the requirements and suitability for each role the procedure to address dispute or grievances your commitment to anti-discrimination, human rights and privacy laws Creating a detailed policy document helps to ensure that your organisation is abiding by relevant legislation, avoids misunderstandings and allows the candidate/employee to have a greater sense of certainty and fairness.

10 18 19 How does my organisation conduct police checks as part of pre-employment screening? 1 Identify inherent requirements of the job If your company is required to perform police checks on employees under legislation, then you must follow the guidelines of that legislation. If your company is not required to perform police checks, then you must first determine the inherent requirements of each position that you would like to perform police checks for. What are inherent requirements? An inherent requirement is something that is essential to the job and not something peripheral; it could include access to highly sensitive information, interaction with vulnerable clients, control over financial resources or assets and many other things. Applying the same standards to all jobs could be discriminatory as the requirements of different jobs will vary. If your company is not obligated to perform police checks, it is important that you identify the inherent requirements of a job so that you can determine how a criminal record could impact a candidate s ability to fulfil the requirements of that job. The burden of deciding what is an inherent requirement of the job falls on you as the employer and must be able to be justified objectively. Determining inherent requirements will not only allow you to take relevant criminal offences into account during the procurement process but will also help candidates determine whether or not to apply for the job.

11 20 21 How to determe inherent requirements You need to determine the inherent requirements of a job before advertising the position as this will impact how the job is advertised and how the recruitment process will unfold. Determining this at the start is important as it helps avoid any misunderstandings in the recruitment process and demonstrates that you ve carefully and objectively considered how a criminal record may impact someone s ability to perform in that role before you ve met with specific candidates. Determining these requirements helps to ensure that you are not making unwarranted presumptions that a person s criminal record determines their character. Case law states that the mere existence of a criminal record does not determine a person s character. It can be an inherent requirement of a job that an employee be trustworthy and of good character. These are common requirements in public sector employment, industries with specific regulation such as racing or gaming, and in the licensing and registration of specific occupations such as nursing. However, this should be decided on a role by role and case by case basis. You should never assume that a criminal record automatically means a person is lacking these characteristics. The key factors to consider when determining the inherent requirements of the job are: the key tasks the employee will be performing the circumstance in which the employee will be carrying out key tasks organisational requirements of the job Considerations could include: if a licence or registration is essential to the job whether a criminal record is a barrier to obtaining such a licence or registration if the job involves one-on-one contact with children or vulnerable individuals whether they re employees, customers or clients if the job involves any direct responsibility for finance or significant assets

12 Communicate the inherent requirements of the role Once you have determined the inherent requirements of a role, you need to include them in any selection criteria and job information for job applicants. You must be clear about which criteria are essential as opposed to desirable, and make sure any essential elements are set out clearly for job applicants. To allow for a transparent process and avoid any misunderstandings, you may wish to specify that: the preferred applicant will be asked to consent to a police check. people with criminal records are not automatically barred from applying for the job (unless there is a requirement under law to do so). each application will be considered on its merits. the applicant can contact you to find out information - the contact person should be someone who is not involved in the selection process but can speak about the inherent requirements of the job but not be involved with the selection process. Doing the above will also help applicants decide whether to apply for the position.

13 Obtain consent 4 Order the police check For most jobs, a criminal record check should be requested only from shortlisted applicants or from those invited to interview. This minimises: excessive and time-consuming administration involved with collecting consent and ordering multiple checks. the expense of ordering multiple checks. the risk of infringing on privacy when information is collected but not required. It is mandatory that you obtain consent from a candidate before conducting a police check in order to comply with Australian Privacy legislation. Australia implemented changes to privacy laws in March 2014 which require an individual about whom information is being collected to be informed of certain things, including the fact that the information is being collected and who is collecting the information. You should warn applicants that their employment is dependent on an assessment of the results of their criminal record check. This should be stated clearly on the job application form and explained carefully in the interview. Your police check provider should have a consent form incorporated into their process to ensure any applicants have signed their consent to the check. Once you have consent from the applicant, you can order a police check through your ACIC accredited provider. The provider will lodge the application form and satisfy the applicant s identity by using the 100 points of verification. The individual s details are submitted to the National Police Checking Service for processing. This personal information is checked against a central index of names to determine whether there is a match and if there is a match, whether there is any criminal history information that can be released. It is up to you who should pay for the police check, however, it could be considered best practice for the employer to pay to ensure authenticity and consistency. 42% of lawyers don t believe the average law firm has sufficient ethics and compliance programs in place to protect against internal crime Lawyers Weekly and InfoTrack Survey

14 Wait for results SUBMIT CHECK AUTOMATED SEARCH Ideally, you should not make a final job offer before the results of a police check are returned. If an employee begins employment and training, and a criminal record later reveals a relevant conviction, it can have a serious impact on employees in addition to wasting resources. Depending on how complex a police check is, it may sometimes take a few days, or even weeks, to return. If the position needs to be filled urgently and cannot wait, you may want to consider obtaining criminal record information earlier in the process. NO POTENTIAL MATCH? YES AFP NSW NT SA For each state CONFIRMED MATCH? If you decide to hire a person prior to the criminal record check, you should clearly inform the new employee that their employment is conditional on the results of the police check. INITIAL CLEAR Released as NDCO TAS VIC WA FINAL VETTING Released as NDCO or DCO NO NOT A MATCH Result is NDCO YES VETTING Result is NDCO or DCO CHECK CLOSED RESULTS RELEASED NDCO DCO No disclosable court outcomes Disclosable court outcomes This diagram was adapted from the Australian Human Rights Commission s On the record guidelines

15 Consider the results of a police check Possible outcomes The result of a police check will be released to your provider and will show one of two outcomes as outlined below. Ask for more information If you believe an applicant s criminal record is relevant, you should give the applicant an opportunity to address it, provide further information and explain the circumstances surrounding any convictions. In most cases, it will be unclear simply based on the results alone whether the applicant s record is relevant to the inherent requirements of the job. Police checks only include very basic information without any details about the circumstances of the offence. You may not fully understand all the information and the report may also include errors. No criminal record (no disclosable court outcomes): This result indicates there is either no police history information held against the applicant, or no information that can be released. Keep in mind that a police check will not detect people who might offend in the future or who have avoided detection in the past; that s why it s important to have a robust screening system in place including additional reference and character checks. Criminal record (disclosable court outcomes): This result indicates there is police history information that can be released. It is always best to double-check any information on police checks with the job applicant. For example, there may be a mistake in the identity of the person, or a conviction may be recorded when it should not have been. How to assess a criminal record Each job applicant should be assessed first on their ability to do the job and then on the relevance of their criminal record to the job applied for. A criminal record should not generally be an absolute bar to the employment of a person.

16 30 31 Factors to consider Each case should be decided in its individual context in relation to the position, your organisation s policies and any applicable anti-discrimination guidelines. Factors that you might consider include: the age of the applicant at the time of the offence how recently the offence occurred whether there is a pattern of reoffending the seriousness of the offence and its relationship to the specific job whether in relation to the offence there was a finding of guilt but without conviction, which indicates a less serious view of the offence by the court the circumstances in which the offence took place, for example if it was an offence that took place in a work, domestic or personal context whether the applicant s circumstances have changed since the offence was committed (for example, past drug use) whether the offence has been decriminalised by Parliament the attitude of the job applicant to their previous offending behaviour references from people who know about the offending history the sentence imposed by the courts evidence of rehabilitation including subsequent work experience and character references Storing information Once you receive the police check results, you should ensure that the information about it and the check itself are stored securely and not disclosed to any party outside of the recruitment process without the consent of the individual concerned. Police checks should be used only for the purpose they were intended. Avoiding discrimination Understand relevant legislation You must ensure your decision processes comply with the Australian Human Rights Commission Act 1986 as well as the relevant legislation in your state or territory. In situations where you refuse to hire a candidate after a criminal record is revealed, you may be open to discrimination claims. The Australian Human Rights Commission can conciliate complaints and make recommendations where a person believes they have been discriminated against because of an irrelevant criminal record. Establish a clear and formal process Discrimination does not include cases where the criminal record would prevent a person from performing the inherent requirements of a particular job. That is why it is key to have clearly outlined the inherent requirements of the job at the outset and have a clear understanding of which types of convictions would be incompatible. If you have a fair and transparent process of dealing with the disclosure of criminal records, many complaints of discrimination can be avoided. Consult a lawyer If you decide to reject a candidate based on their police record and its relevance to the role, you may want to consult a lawyer to discuss the potential for discrimination claims. For more information, you can refer to the Australian Human Rights Commission s Guidelines for the Prevention of Discrimination in employment on the Basis of Criminal Record.

17 32 33 What if I want to conduct police checks on existing employees? Inform your employees Once you have conducted your risk assessment and are confident that conducting police checks on existing employees is necessary, you should inform all employees that police checks are being implemented as part of a wider risk management program. You should clearly explain the reasons for implementing the new policy and provide details on how it will help to mitigate risk and keep the working environment safe and secure for all employees. If you are implementing a police checking program into your organisation and plan to conduct checks on existing employees, careful planning and consideration is required. This is a sensitive issue and needs to be approached in an appropriate manner to avoid issues with current staff. Staff may see this as a threat and feel like they re not trusted. Conduct a risk assesment The first thing you should do is conduct a thorough risk assessment to ensure that there is inherent risk to the roles you intend to screen for and conducting police checks is justifiable. This will help explain the situation to your employees and minimise your chance for legal risk relating to discrimination claims.

18 34 35 Explain the process You should provide as much detail to your employees about the process as possible; explain that a criminal record will not automatically disqualify them from their current role. You should review the following with employees: why you have decided to implement police checks and how this will benefit the organisation the type of information returned in police checks and how it may vary from state to state the types of court outcomes that would raise red flags in relation to specific roles the assessment process including the additional factors that will be considered in each case that there will be an opportunity to discuss any record and disclose further information during the assessment process the dispute process if they believe the record is incorrect the fact that a criminal record will not automatically disqualify them from their role and each case is assessed on an individual basis the confidentially of the findings and how they will be handled and stored who the staff members are who will be conducting the checks their rights under human rights and anti-discrimination legislation Reviewing the above will help to promote an open transition toward police checking and make your employees feel more at ease with the process.

19 36 37 What if employees refuse a criminal history check? As you know, you must have informed consent in order to conduct a police check on an individual. Existing employees may be reluctant to disclose their criminal history for fear of discrimination, harassment or termination of their employment. Arrange a private meeting If an employee refuses to provide consent, their senior manager should arrange a private meeting with them to fully discuss the new police check provisions, why they are justified and how the process will relate to their role. The manager should again make it clear that there is a strict confidentiality policy, the organisation is following all fair work and discrimination legislation and the employee will have the right to explain, provide further detail and/or dispute any criminal findings that are disclosed. The more details you can give an employee, the more secure they will feel about the process. Make sure it is clear to them that not all criminal records will be relevant to their role and any findings will be assessed carefully with consideration to several other factors. If the employee reveals the reason for their resistance to a police check, you should encourage open dialogue around the issue and walk through how this record will be assessed under your organisation s policy. Explain the consequences If the employee still refuses to consent to a police check, you should walk them through the organisation s policy on failure to undergo a police check and ensure that they understand that failure to comply may result in a finding that they are no longer suitable for the role which in turn could result in termination or change of position. These cases highlight why it is extremely important to have conducted a thorough risk assessment and have justification behind the police screening policy related to each specific role. It would be a good idea to discuss these situations with your legal counsel as well to minimise risk of litigation. Disclosing the results Anyone you conduct a police check on, whether a candidate or existing employee has the right to dispute the result or provide additional information. Therefore, it is mandatory that before making any decisions you disclose the results to the employee. Informing the employee about their disclosable record will provide a forum for open discussion and give them an opportunity to be heard. You should ask whether they would like to provide any further details or information for you to consider before making a final decision. It is important that you fully explain the assessment process to the employee and that they understand that their criminal record does not automatically disqualify them from their job. Go into detail about all factors that will be considered and encourage them to share details of their record and circumstances of the crime that could be mitigating factors such as rehabilitative and preventative measures they ve taken since the crime was committed.

20 38 39 Terminating an employee based on a police check If a police check returns a criminal record that is relevant to an employee s role and after disclosing the results, discussing them with the employee and considering relevant factors, you determine the employee is no longer suitable for their position, you should explore other options before terminating the employee. If possible, explore if there are other roles within the organisation that do not carry the same inherent risks that the employee could be transferred into. If there is no option but to terminate, you should ensure that you: seek legal advice before taking any action to minimise risk of litigation. consider your obligations as an employer under anti-discrimination and human rights legislation. thoroughly discuss the decision with the employee and explain the requirements of the position and how their record makes them unsuitable for it. clearly document the decision in writing to ensure you have documentation of the assessment process and reasoning in case of any potential allegations from the employee. 38% of lawyers have dealt with employees who they later discovered lied about their qualifications Lawyers Weekly and InfoTrack Survey

21 40 41 Where should I get my police checks from? Police checks are an integral part of the background check of potential employees and it s important that you partner with an accredited provider to ensure you receive reliable and timely results. Considerations when choosing a provider ACIC accreditation The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) partners with Australian police agencies to provide the National Police Check Service to facilitate controlled access to disclosable police history information of an individual from all Australian police jurisdictions. The ACIC has a list of accredited brokers who can provide the NPCS directly. Ensure that you partner with one of these accredited brokers so that you can have full confidence in the integrity of your results.

22 42 43 Turnaround times Turnaround times for police check results can vary depending on your provider and the outcome of the check. The ACIC s National Police Check Service aims to process 95 per cent of police checks in 10 business days, noting that: around 70 per cent of police checks are completed in real time and the results are returned to the organisation that requested the check within minutes. around 30 per cent of police checks are referred to one or more police agencies due to similarities in the name of an individual. Sometimes this process takes longer than 10 business days due to the complexity of the check. Ensure that your provider returns checks as soon as they receive them from NPCS without delay. A slow return time can be the difference between getting top talent or not candidates will be put off by long screening wait times and may accept another offer while you re waiting for the results of their police check. User experience Most providers will operate within the standard turnaround time frames, but there can be differences in the process from a user experience point of view. You want a provider that will give you the most streamlined and simple process to order and receive your police checks as efficiently as possible. How many steps are involved in the process? How are payments made? Will it be easy for the candidate/employee to complete? Broker reputation Ensure that the broker you select is a reputable organisation. Do your research to determine whether they are a business you can rely upon. Look into which industries they serve, who their customers are, and what their track record is including testimonials and awards. Customer service Since police checks make up such a vital part of the recruitment process, you want to make sure that your provider has top notch customer service. If you come across any issues or concerns, you want to know that you can access support easily and count on fast resolution of any problems. Look into potential providers customer service history.

23 44 45 Steps to finding the best practice police check program Find an ACIC accredited partner. Identify inherent requirements of the roles you will conduct police checks for. 7. If there is a criminal record that is relevant to the role. a. b. c. d. e. f. Disclose the results of the police check to the candidate/employee. Give the candidate/employee an opportunity to dispute or address the record. Consider factors specific to the case including recency of offence, rehabilitation, circumstances, etc. Ensure you re abiding by all relevant anti-discrimination legislation. Consult legal counsel before making any decisions. Document the decision-making process Create a written police check policy for your organisation that complies with relevant anti-discrimination and privacy legislation. Communicate the inherent requirements in job advertisements and to any existing employees. Obtain consent from a candidate/employee to conduct a police check. Review the results of the police check. a. b. If there is no criminal record proceed with usual recruitment process. If there is a criminal record determine if it is relevant to the role in question (if not proceed with usual recruitment process).

24 46 47 Additional resources Useful links InfoTrack: National police checks InfoTrack: National police checks FAQs In May 2017, InfoTrack and Lawyers Weekly conducted a survey and roundtable to gain insight into current pre-employment screening practices. The opinions expressed in both the survey and roundtable point toward the critical need for wider implementation of police and reference checks across both the legal community and the corporate world. Recruiting the right people should be front of mind for any business. The staff you have are the sole determiners of your company culture, revenue and reputation. Australian Criminal Intelligence Commision: National police checks Australian Human Rights Commission: Determining the inherent requirements of a job Australian Human Rights Commission: Recruitment Australian Human Rights Commission: Guidelines for the preventions of discrimination in employment on the basis of criminal record PwC: Global economic crime survey 2016 The Lawyers Weekly Show Getting aquainted Click above to listen to a podcast of the roundtable which reveals key findings from the survey.

25 46 47 Additional resources Useful links InfoTrack: National police checks InfoTrack: National police checks FAQs In May 2017, InfoTrack and Lawyers Weekly conducted a survey and roundtable to gain insight into current pre-employment screening practices. The opinions expressed in both the survey and roundtable point toward the critical need for wider implementation of police and reference checks across both the legal community and the corporate world. Recruiting the right people should be front of mind for any business. The staff you have are the sole determiners of your company culture, revenue and reputation. Australian Criminal Intelligence Commision: National police checks Australian Human Rights Commission: Determining the inherent requirements of a job Australian Human Rights Commission: Recruitment Australian Human Rights Commission: Guidelines for the preventions of discrimination in employment on the basis of criminal record PwC: Global economic crime survey 2016 The Lawyers Weekly Show Getting aquainted Click above to listen to a podcast of the roundtable which reveals key findings from the survey.

26 48 49 More information InfoTrack is an award-winning technology company that is accredited with the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) to provide the National Police Checking Services (NPCS). We simplify the police check process by providing a simple, streamlined and intuitive platform. To increase your due diligence with police checks, please get in touch. p: e: sales@infotrack.com.au ACIC accredited Fast turnaround Intuitive process Reputable provider First-class support We are a 100% Australian owned business and have won awards for our technology, innovation, service and people. We offer a range of services that ensure professionals are efficient and reliably informed. We are a trusted service provider to professionals across the legal, conveyancing, banking, finance, insolvency, surveying, mercantile, accountancy and government sectors. *Disclaimer: This material is solely for general information purposes and does not constitute legal advice. If you have any questions or concerns in relation to conducting police checks, you should consult a legal professional.