Customs agent police checks

In Australia, customs agents, also known as customs brokers, are licensed professionals who assist businesses and individuals with the customs clearance process for importing goods into the country. They are responsible for preparing and submitting documentation, calculating and paying tariffs and duties, and ensuring compliance with the laws and regulations administered by the Australian Border Force (ABF). Customs agents act as a liaison between the importer and the ABF and help ensure that goods are released from customs promptly. They also help exporters with the export process and compliance with the laws and regulations of the country of destination.

Due to the sensitivities of this role, the Australian border Force introduced additional obligations for customs depot and warehouse licence holders on 1 November 2022. Part of this new obligation is the mandatory police check requirement for customs agents.

A police check is a process by which an individual's disclosable criminal history is released in accordance with the spent convictions legislation and information release policies. A police check issued by an ACIC accredited body is officially referred to as a nationally coordinated criminal history check (NCCHC).

In Australia, a police check is a standard requirement for persons seeking employment as a customs agent. This is because customs agents are responsible for handling and managing the logistics of importing and exporting goods.

They may have access to sensitive information and deal with high-value goods. The police check allows the agency to verify the applicant's identity and to ensure that they do not have a criminal record that would make them ineligible for the position.

In summary, a police check is required to ensure that the people who handle customs-related processes are eligible for the position, which in turn helps to maintain the integrity of the agency and the country's customs processes.

The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) is responsible for conducting police checks in Australia. They work with accredited bodies and police agencies to make the police checking service available.

Follow the following steps to get a police check:

You can apply for a police check via a police agency or an accredited body like Australian National Character Check (ANCC). Applications are typically online and involve filling out an online form with your name, date of birth, address, and purpose of the check. You must also upload four identification documents. They are:

• ✔ One commencement ID
• ✔ One primary use in the community document
• ✔ Two secondary use in the community documents
• ✔ A biometric link

After uploading the required documents, you must pay the associated fee. ANCC charges $52.90 + GST per police check.

The police agency or accredited body processing your police check application first verifies your identity. They then forward your application details to the National Police Checking Service Support System (NSS).

If the system doesn't find a match, it instantly returns a 'no disclosable court outcome (NDCO)' to the body requesting the check.

Conversely, if it finds one, it forwards the details to the relevant police agency for manual processing. In this stage, the police agencies confirm that the criminal records are releasable. In this stage, the police agencies apply the appropriate spent conviction legislation or information release policies to determine which criminal records are disclosable before sending the final check result back.

Once the requesting body (either the police agency or accredited body) receives the check result, they notify the applicant.

About 70% of police check results are available within 24 hours. The other 30% may take longer than 10 business days as they may be referred for manual processing to one or more police agencies.

While police checks do not technically expire, organisations set an acceptable time frame based on their operational requirements and risk assessment. For example, most organisations do not accept a police check that is older than three (3) months.

ANCC offers efficient background checking services to customs agents.

ANCC's portal is well-suited for individuals seeking work as customs agents.

Hiring managers in customs depot and warehouse businesses can now order bulk police checks for job applicants and employees. The business portal makes it easy to manage, monitor, track and compare various police check applications in real time. All businesses are subject to a process of approval prior to being granted access to the ANCC Business Portal.

• ✔ 100% online and secure
• ✔ 24 hour expected turnaround for 70% of police check applications
• ✔ All of your data is kept within Australia
• ✔ Australian based support staff located in Canberra (ACT)
• ✔ ANCC is accredited with the Australian government
• ✔ Our police check portals are user-friendly