Why PM's rules on criminal CV checks may be harming security

Following the proposed recruitment changes that Prime Minister David Cameron has outlined, candidates who have served time in jail will not have to put their convictions on their CV. These changes will apply to the civil service, with hopes the practice will spread to other sectors.  

Rachel Bedgood, CEO of Complete Background Screening, spoke to Recruitment Grapevine on what these changes will mean for the recruitment industry. She explained: “As much as Cameron is trying to ensure diversity in the civil service by widening the employment net, which is a good thing, delaying a criminal check until the second stage would mean expending more resources, time and effort in an already time-consuming process. Ticking a box at the beginning of the recruitment process would make things a lot simpler.

“It’s important to note that for lower-level positions in the civil service, whereby individuals do not have direct access to Ministers and the Prime Minister, there would be no need for advanced screening, which covers counter-terrorism checks. In the main, prospective employees would be subject to basic disclosure checks and this only provides unspent criminal history.

“As with any organisation or business, safeguarding staff, those they work with or the communities they serve, needs to be the utmost priority. In this case, we really need to better understand what criminal information would deem a person ineligible and each case should be judged on merit, supported by a host of additional screening.”