Can I speed up my Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check?

The information on this webpage is to be read in conjunction with this disclaimer:
Australian National Character Check (ANCC) makes every effort to provide updated and accurate information to its customers. However due to the continuously changing nature of legislations for the Commonwealth and various States and Territories, it is inevitable that some information may not be up to date. The information on the website is general information only. The contents on the website do not constitute legal or professional advice and should not be relied upon as a substitute for legal or professional advice. While we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, suitability, accuracy or availability with respect to the information.

A nationally coordinated criminal history check in Australia can open many doors for you within the States/Territories for employment. Without police checks, it will be hard to;

• Get employment, especially in certain sectors
• Acquire some licenses/contracts
• Obtain industry accreditations

However, in some cases, a police check application may get delayed in checking or comparing the data. This can be frustrating in some instances where the check is required urgently.

How can you speed up the check process of your application?

A police check is issued by Australian police authorities, after vetting and checking by the National Checking database. It also means that no external influence or circumstances can speed or affect the checking process.

Applicants should note that once a check has been successfully submitted to the central government agency for a result, there is nothing ANCC or any other agency can do to speed up the process. Whilst most checks do not come up with a potential match and are returned within 24 hours, other checks that get referred for manual processing must go through a standardised process via police agencies all over Australia to vet the check in case if the applicant has any disclosable criminal history in any Australian state or territory.

The process cannot be rushed as the accuracy of the checks impacts community safety and police agencies must ensure that they do not miss any history that should possibly be disclosed on a check.

It should also be noted that just because a background check has been referred for review does not necessarily mean that the applicant has criminal history. It may just be due to a common name or a name which is similar to a person of interest on the national police database.

When you apply through online accredited agencies;

Although no external influence affects the speed/process of obtaining a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check, people who apply online in most cases get their criminal history check certificate within 24 hours of successful completion. Exceptions apply where checks get referred for manual processing.

• Zero time wasted in "document transfer"

Since all application procedures are online, there is zero time wasted in moving the "paper" from place to place. Also, the online application process is fast and easy and usually takes less than 12 minutes to complete assuming you have all of your identification documents in one place.

• The process is 100% online

You can complete the online-based application via your mobile, PC or tablet device from anywhere you are in Australia. Our various digital payment options (PayPal, Debit/Credit cards, and co.) also aid the whole online application process.

• Get certificate mostly within 24 hours

Applicants who apply online generally usually get their police check results within 24 hours (depending on how complex the process is) or if weather or not there is a potential match in the system.

• Instant result dispatch

Once your result becomes available, our system automatically dispatches results on the same day they are received. You will also know about any additional information regarding us being able to finalise your result via the track a check page which is available for all applicants.

Why a police check?

Crime check results contain a record of all outstanding charges, court convictions, offences, sentences and finding of guilt of an individual. It helps the organisation or decision maker carry out individual suitability assessment based on the role/contract that they apply for.

Why a check may get delayed

A Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check will contain all convictions above throughout all the State/Territories the individual has ever lived. The information about the State lived is usually included in the data submitted by the applicant.

• The applicant has changed States often

If an individual has lived in various states in a short time, the checking process takes longer than usual. The checking algorithm will have more data from criminal/police records in the different States/Territories to compare.

• Application is flagged for "manual review"

A manual review is when an official from the check agency has to further supervise the application. It does not translate to failing a police check; there are many reasons for an application to be flagged for manual review. Some of them are;

✔ Prospective match on the system

✔ The applicant has a pending/unsettled issue or court case on a related database

✔ The applicant has changed address too frequently

✔ Incomplete data on the application

✔ Common shared names

Irrespective of the cause, a manual review may further delay the issuance of a check by up to 15 business days.

However, only around 30% of applications are flagged for manual review. No agency can foretell or foreknow which application will be flagged for manual review.

There other reasons why a nation Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check can be delayed;

✔ Police authorities applying the state legislation on the individual’s police records

✔ police check applications for some purposes (e.g. working with the vulnerable) may require more introspection.

What should I do if my check is delayed?

Since there is no external way to influence the speed of a police checking process, we advise all applicants to remain calm and seek help through our customer service representatives.

If the matter borders on urgency, applicants may reach out to the requesting party to explain the situation or ask for an extension. ANCC’s support team can provide applicants with a “pending criminal history check” letter explaining the situation to their employer.

How long is a police check valid for?

A police check is a Point-in-time check. It remains valid from the point of issuance till when the individual updates the Police check results. However, most organizations or institutions will reject a police check result older than three (3) months.

About updating or renewing checks

Furthermore, the results of a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check are not permanent. Organisations should request updated checks from their staff within respectable periods e.g. annually. Also, if you are convicted of an offence within this "crime period" you should inform your organisation and obtain an updated clearance check.

How to obtain a police check in Australia - Through the Australian National Character Check agency

Step 1:

Log on to the Australian National Character Check Portal for the Australian Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check applications and select the “Start a new application” option. You can apply from anywhere in Australia - E.g. Apply for a police check or within any other state or territory.

Step 2:

Applicants must select the true purpose of the check (Employment, Probity, and co.) and then pay the stipulated fee for the check through any of our online payment portals (MasterCard, PayPal, and co.).

Fill and complete the required field on the application portal. Verify the requested ID documents

Step 3:

Australian National Character Check submits all applications through a secure portal to the Central Government Checking system.

Step 4:

The applicants’ information is compared to the data in the Criminal/Police database in the entire nation.

Step 5:

The result is provided to Australian National Character Check (it either comes out as No Disclosable Court outcome (NDCO) or with a Disclosable Court Outcome (DCO) and the details.

Step 6:

The check is completed and returned to the applicant.

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