Security Licence police checks in Australia

Australian National Character Check (ANCC) provides nationally coordinated criminal history checks (national police checks) to persons seeking employment or licensing in Australia’s security industry.

Important note for individual applicants: If you are seeking this police check as part of a licensing application (e.g. security industry licensing), please select ‘Licence’ as your check category on our online application form.

Do you work in HR in an Australian security organistion and need police checks for your workers? ANCC provides a streamlined solution for national police checks.

Please apply for your nationally coordinated criminal history check via the individual portal here.

Businesses (e.g. security organisations) seeking bulk background checks can apply for access to the ANCC Business Portal.

A security licence permits you to work as a security guard. Before getting a security licence, you must be adequately trained, qualified and screened to ensure you can perform the job effectively. Security licences cover bodyguards, keyholders, close protection officers, CCTV operatives, door supervisors, cash and valuables in transit and vehicle immobilisers.

Security officers are well-paid in Australia. If you'd like to join the ranks of thousands of security operatives in Australia, know that you'll go through a screening process that includes a police check. This web page will show you how to get a police check for security licensing in Australia.

Also called a nationally coordinated criminal history check (NCCHC), a police check reveals an applicant's disclosable criminal history. Examples include arrests, convictions, court proceedings and more.

Passing a police check is a prerequisite for obtaining a security licence. Through a police check, the licensing body can determine if a past criminal record makes you unsuitable for the position.

For these reasons, the legislation in different states and territories across Australia have stipulated criminal offences that make one unfit to obtain a security licence.

Some examples of criminal offences that may prevent a person from getting a security licence include:

• ✔ Illegal possession of a firearm
• ✔ Drug-related crimes and armed robbery
• ✔ Terrorism-related crimes
• ✔ Sexual-related offences

Note that how long ago the offence was committed plays a role in its relevance per the spent conviction scheme. However, some crimes can never be spent (e.g. sexual offences) and can permanently prevent an applicant from obtaining a security licence.

Here's how you can obtain a police check:

You must first apply through an ACIC accredited body like ANCC or a police agency. Australian National Character Check (ANCC) is one of Australia's leading ACIC-accredited bodies. Most applications are online and all you need to do is fill out an online form with your details and the purpose of the check (in this case, "security licensing").

You must also submit four identification documents. They include:

• On commencement of ID document
• One primary use in community document
• Two secondary use in community documents

After applying, the police agency or accredited body confirms that your identification documents are valid and match your personal information. Afterwards, they forward your application to the National Police Checking Service Support System (NSS). NSS is owned and operated by ACIC, and it runs a name-matching algorithm to find a potential match.

If it doesn't find a match, the system immediately returns a 'No disclosable court outcome' (NDCO). Conversely, if it finds a potential match, the system sends it to the relevant police agency(s) to confirm its validity. If it’s not valid, an NDCO is sent to the accredited body or police agency that requested the check. However, it moves to the vetting stage if the match is valid. In this stage, the relevant police agency(s) applies the spent conviction scheme to determine which of the applicant's criminal records are releasable before sending the final result to the body requesting the check on the applicant's behalf.

Once the accredited agency or police agency you applied for a police check through gets the result, they notify you.

About 70% of police check applications are processed in less than a day. However, the other 30% will be referred to one or more police agencies and can take longer than 10 business days.

While a police check does not technically expire, licensing bodies set different validity timeframes. For security licensing, this time frame is generally around three months.

Are you looking to get a police check for your security licensing application? ANCC offers a fast, efficient, and affordable police checking service. Our portal is 100% online. Submit all the necessary information and get your result in a timely manner.

Security licensing companies can order and track bulk police checks for applicants seeking a security licence. With our Business Portal, you can effortlessly order and track and view the police check progress in real-time. Set up a business account today to reap these benefits.

All businesses undergo a process of approval prior to being granted access to the business portal.