Police Check Adelaide

How well do you know your people? A Police check in Adelaide is important for both employers and employees, especially when that work involves vulnerable people and groups. A national police check from Adelaide provides a summary of a person’s offender history in Australia.

It’s important to know that an employer or organisation can only be provided with your police check results if you consent. If you do not consent, then any organisation, department or individual seeking your police check results has to show that they legitimately require your records. Such requirements include the investigation of a potential risk, a suspected offence, or the prosecution of an offender. Note that they must also specify the exact section of legislation which provides them with these powers.

Police in South Australia are bound by state legislation (Spent Convictions Act 2009) when determining what to put on the police check results.

A “spent conviction” means that it can’t be disclosed or taken into consideration. This includes court findings such as:

When a matter is “without conviction” or “no conviction recorded”, these findings are taken as immediately spent.
After ten years - and provided no more offences have been committed - any conviction is considered spent. The exceptions to this are when you are getting checked for working with children or vulnerable people (disabled or in aged care).
For juvenile offenders, a conviction is spent after five years.

South Australian legislation also requires you to apply for a Working With Children Check through the Department of Human Services if you are employed (or a volunteer) to work with children. This is separate from the police check, which is a record of a person’s court outcomes.

Who Is Required to Obtain a Police Check in Adelaide?

A police check in Adelaide is typically requested by organisations as part of their process to ensure the integrity of staff or volunteers. Whether for recruitment and job applications or volunteer and not-for-profit positions, a police check is usually required. Three areas in particular are childcare, working with vulnerable groups and licensing or registration scheme applications.

Childcare: Children across Australia come into contact every day with various organisations such as schools, childcare centres, etc. To protect them from potential harm, anyone working (paid or volunteer) with children under the age of 18 must receive a police check as well as a full Working With Children Check (which is provided through the Department of Human Services).
Working with vulnerable groups: Police checks are required to reduce the risk of harm or neglect when working (paid or volunteer) with vulnerable people such as the elderly or disabled. If you work for a Commonwealth-funded aged-care employer, you also need an Aged Care Sector Employment Check. Paid or volunteer workers who work with vulnerable people should have a Vulnerable Person-Related Employment Check.
Licensing or registration scheme applications: Statutory bodies such as ASIC have stringent requirements, including police checks, for lawyers, applicants for an Australian Financial Services Licence, Australian credit licensees, application service providers and professionals working in financial services, amongst others.

What Details Are Included in a National Police Check in Adelaide?

In Adelaide, the South Australia Police provides a national summary of an individual’s disclosable offender history. The information shown in the national police check in Adelaide includes:

The full name of the offender. Also listed is any alias used by the person.
A personal description that helps identify the applicant, such as hair and eye colour, height, identifying marks and build. Other details, such as the person’s photograph and fingerprints (there is an extra fee when requesting fingerprints), are also included.
The person’s date of birth and residential address are shown.
Any offences for which a person has been arrested (charged with) are listed.
All court appearances made by the person (including court appearances as a juvenile) are included.
Whether a person was convicted of any offences is shown. The details of these offences are listed, including the date of conviction and whether the conviction was recorded.
The full details of any sentences imposed are included.
Other information on the police check shows specific departmental records, such as any restraining orders (including paedophile) on the person and outstanding warrants. Also included are any intervention orders, diversions, cautions and expiable matters (reparations).

Note: It is possible that the police check might not include a very recent conviction recorded by the courts. This can be due to the time lapse between the conviction and when the South Australia Police’s criminal records databases are updated.

How to Apply for a Police Check in Adelaide

You can apply for your national police check online in Adelaide, or you can request a hard copy from your local police station. A police check in Adelaide’s cost varies. There is a concession rate, and a volunteer rate, and there are extra charges if fingerprints are required.

Filling out the form can be a time-consuming process, taking days or weeks, including having to verify 100 points of identification. Fortunately, Crimcheck streamlines this entire process and makes it easy for you. It’s possible, with a phone call and online verification tools, to have the results in as little as twenty-four hours without sacrificing accuracy.
Crimcheck is the only not-for-profit organisation providing National Criminal History Checks. Any surplus we make is returned to the community. For your protection, Crimcheck is accredited with the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC),

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Need Group or Business Police Checks in Adelaide?

How long are police checks valid for in Adelaide? Strictly speaking, a police check doesn’t have an expiry date. But its information is only valid up until the date of issue. What about any offences committed since then? It’s up to the individual employer or organisation to determine how long they consider a check to be valid. For peace of mind, many employers prefer a police check issued within the last three months.

CrimCheck's expertise in fast, secure and affordable police checks for large groups and businesses in Adelaide reduces the hassle for your group or business and streamlines the entire process.

Seeking Police Checks in Different Regions?

Crimcheck provides quick and convenient police checks to applicants from all over Australia. Just click on the link for your area:

Police Check Victoria

Police Check in Brisbane