When does a police check expire in NSW?

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When people get their police check, they become curious about how long until they will need another one. Some even go as far as to message the issuing agency on the expiry date of the police check they got. Seeing as how important the police check has become in Australia and for employers and decision makers, you can hardly blame them.

However, as to when a police check will expire, plenty of factors influence that.

What does the police check certificate say?

If you check your nationally coordinated criminal history check, you will see that it does not specify any date for expiry. It is because the police check certificate is a point in time check. It simply continues running from when the checking is completed and issued to the owner.

The police check certificate you get from accredited service providers like ANCC or the AFP carries only the release date or the match date. Nowhere on the certificate does it show an expiry date or reveals anything about the period of validity.

Therefore, technically, the Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check is not supposed to expire as it is a point-in-time check. It releases criminal history up until the date of its issue.

What do organisations say about police checks?

The police check has become an indispensable part of most organizations internal risk mitigation strategy.

Seeing the importance of a police check to an organisation's process, most of them hardly accept "old" police checks. In most recruitment requirements, some even go as far as to specify that the police check not to be older than 3 months.

Since the organisations and the agencies are the biggest reasons why candidates apply for a police check, their standards will continue to influence the public.

It is an unwritten rule that your police check may be considered invalid after 3 months.

How can I get a recent police check?

If an agency/employer requests a police check; a convenient way is to apply online through an accredited service provider like Australian National Character Check - ANCC.

Since most organisations will not accept a police check certificate older than 3 months, it is better to seek a fast and online way of getting a check.

Services like ANCC will return completed police check results within 24 hours of completion, with the remainder that get referred for manual processing taking longer. The application process is relatively easy, as it is done with mobile devices like Phones, Tablets or PC

Successful applications will be returned via email to the applicant.

Applying through the Local Police Force

The local police force also issues applicants with their police check results. This may require applicants to attend a local police station to attest their identification documents.

Applying through the Local Post office

Your local Post office can serve as the intermediary between a candidate and the National Checking agency. When you apply through the Local police force, you must submit the required IDs and the completed application form.

This method is slightly similar to applying through the local police office. Applications can be submitted and received via mail.

The in-person method of application requires your presence and paper submissions. It can take between 8 to 10 business days before the applicant gets their police check.

Why do employers prefer recent police checks?

The police check is a detailed history of the candidate’s criminal and Police records and Australia. While it is important to employ people who can get the job done, it is equally important to get people of good character.

The police check has become a consensus risk mitigation strategy since most employers were lacking authentic means to get an applicant's conviction history. So the security of business, safety and brand protection counts among the top reasons employers need a police check.

And since they want to assess the applicant based on their criminal history, recent criminal history is crucial. For example, it will be unintuitive to employ an educator with a recent history of child abuse. Not only is this damaging to your brand, but the kids too.

What do I do if my police check expires?

If your police check has expired; you can renew the police check online via ANCC by filling out a new application form. It is easy, faster and the application form takes around 15 minutes to complete.

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