What Happens After I Submit My Application?
Anybody can apply for a national police check and will complete the same application process. The process is quick and straightforward, and can be done within 5 minutes if you have access to all the information that is required.
After applying for a police check online, the process is relatively fast. Crime Check Australia will take over the handling of the police check for you, so you do not need to do anything after submitting your application. Crime Check Australia will liaise with the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) on behalf of you, where necessary.
What Happens After I Submit My Application?
When you apply for a police check Australia, you complete the form, pay the fees and provide the relevant information. Crime Check Australia will handle your application from there.
Upon receiving your NPC application, Crime Check Australia will check your documents and information to verify that it is accurate and consistent. If satisfied and after acquiring your consent to proceed, your police check will be passed over to the National police checking Service for further checks.
Your details will be scanned across the national police database in search of Persons of Interest (POI). It will then be determined which information, if any, will be released on your national police check.
All you need to do is sit back and wait for your results. If any problems arise, you will be contacted directly from the phone number and email address you provided as part of your application. A discussion will then take place to determine how to proceed with your NPC application.
What Happens to My Information?
The information you provide for a police check online is checked over for possible matches to Persons of Interest. A police check is essentially a criminal background check which scans all police history records. Any convictions you have will be found here.
The full process is as follows:
- Application received and identity verification
- Consent to share with the National police checking Service for POI search
- Confirmation of match if found, followed by PHI record search
- Information determined for release
Application Received and Identity Verification
Crime Check Australia receives your application and evaluates the information you have provided for accuracy. All documents provided will be verified for consistency and to verify your identity. Your information will be entered into the police system of databases across all states and territories in Australia.
Consent to Share Information
If the information is accurate and CCA is happy with what you have provided, they will ask for your consent to share the information of your NPC with the National police checking Service. Here, your information will be searched for Persons of Interest already known to the police and stored in the system.
Match Confirmation and Police History Information Record Search
This will confirm whether your details match an existing police record. If your details match, the police agency will search Police History Information (PHI) records. This will then determine which information, if any, will be shared in the results of your police check.
Release of Information
Many factors come into account when determining which information will be released. Such factors include the category of the check (whether for voluntary or employment purposes) and the reason that the applicant needs the NPC, such as the occupation they are applying for.
What Can I Expect the Police History Information to Include?
Police History Information records, or PHI, if released, can include any or all of the following:
- Charges
- Court appearances
- Pending matters awaiting court hearing
- Court convictions including penalties and/or sentences
- Good behaviour bonds or other court orders
- Traffic offences
- Findings of guilt with no conviction
The information that appears on your certificate is at the discretion of the different police departments in accordance with different legislations. This means that some previous convictions may not be released as part of your police check, or some information from your criminal history check will be considered irrelevant.
What Happens if a Match is Found?
If a criminal history check reveals a match with your information and a record on the system, the individual police agency will vet Police History Information (PHI) and make the decision as to whether your information be released in the results of your police check.
The individual police agency will make the decision as to what information is released, based on a number of factors. These factors can include the purpose of the check, and which category the police check is in.
What Happens After My Information is Verified?
If there are no issues with your application and your identity is verified, you will receive your police check results from the National police checking Service. These will be made available to you straight away on your national police check.
What Happens if There is a Problem with My Application?
For any problems regarding your application, Crime Check Australia will get in touch with you directly using the information given in your application. You will then be assisted in how to progress further and move forward with your police check.
What Happens if I Made a Mistake in My Application?
You should contact Crime Check Australia immediately if you have made a mistake in your police check application, and they will inform you of what to do next.
Crime Check Australia cannot be held responsible for any errors made on the applicant’s part, so it is important to thoroughly check your application before submitting it. In some cases, you may need to submit a new application altogether and pay the fees again.
Errors include, but are not limited to the following:
- Misspellings
- Formatting issues
- Incorrect data entry
- Typing issues
- Use of hyphens and certain other punctuation
After receiving your certificate, you should check the information carefully and make contact immediately if you believe something to be inaccurate or irrelevant. The customer service team will assist you further.
What Happens If My Document Was Not Accepted?
Sometimes there are documents which cannot be accepted for your national police check. The rules regarding documents are strict as they are set out by the government. If your document is rejected for whatever reason, you will be contacted directly to discuss what to do next, and how to resolve the issue. There may be alternatives which can be used in replace of the rejected document, in order to proceed with your police check.
You should check your documents carefully before providing them in your application. There are many reasons why a document may face rejection, including:
- The document is not written in English
- The document shows an abbreviation or alternate spelling of your name
- The document displays your name or other personal details incorrectly
- The document is not a form of ID which is accepted (for example, a private healthcare card)
- The document has expired or has been cancelled
- The document does not fit the category correctly (for example, a bank card cannot be used as a commencement document)
- The document could not be verified with the government
What is the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC)?
The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission or ACIC is Australia’s national criminal intelligence agency. Working with police agencies across the country, the aim is to improve national ability to crime response in Australia by sharing information across Australian law enforcement agencies.
What is the National police checking System?
The National police checking System or the National police checking Service is a national service which allows people to apply for a national police check.
The service scans police databases to verify your identity, and aims to process your police check as soon as possible. The timeframe for how long this process takes cannot be guaranteed, as many factors can contribute to delays.
What is a Person of Interest (POI)?
Persons of Interest, also known as POI, are individual’s which are already known to the police, and whose details are stored on the national database. This database is searched using your personal information to see if there is a match.
How Will I Receive My Certificate?
If your police clearance is successful, the National police checking Service will return your police check back to Crime Check Australia. You will receive your national police check via email immediately after it is ready to be made available to you, unless you have asked to have it sent by post.
When Will I Receive My Certificate?
If there are no issues with your NPC application and the process runs smoothly, you could receive your national police check in as little as 1 business day. In some cases, you might even receive it within a number of hours after submission.
For 70% of applications, the average completion time is 1 business day. The remaining 30% however, of all police checks in Australia will experience delays anywhere from 2 to 15 business days, and even longer in rare cases.
There are many reasons why an applicant may experience a delay, the most common reasons being that there is a problem with the information you have provided, the National police checking Service is reviewing it with a more complex check, or there is a problem with your police clearance.
There is no way of knowing if your check will be delayed, so you should give yourself enough time to encounter any unexpected delays and be prepared to deal with them. A good recommendation is that you submit your police check application at least 10 days before you require the certificate. This means you can handle any unexpected delays or issues with your application in advance.
Can I Get in Touch if I Have Any Queries?
You can contact us with any queries by filling out the online form, sending us an email to info@crimecheckaustralia.com.au or contacting our customer service team on (03) 8400 4453 between the hours of 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday.
Can I Check the Status of My Application?
You can check the progress of your NPC application by visiting the check status application page and entering your check ID and email address.
See the status of your police check application.
Overall, the best thing you can do before submitting your police check application is to ensure that the information is accurate and true. From doing this, you can then wait for the results, resting assured that Crime Check Australia is handling your national police check.
Keep an eye out for any emails or phone calls which may be CCA trying to contact you in regards to your application.