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Calgary Looking To Move Police Information Checks Online
Police information checks are often required for job applications and volunteer positions, and Calgary is looking to make the process easier for city residents by moving it online.
“We’re looking for an automated process that is going to be online, from the application to the results being sent to the individual,” said Police Information Check Unit manager Amanda Welfair. “So a member of public does not have to come into a police facility at all – everything is done online.”
Such a change would come as welcome news to Steve Cara, operations manager for Paladin Security in southern Alberta, which employs about 1,150 people.
Cara said Paladin brings on board between 40 and 60 new people each month, and for many of them the current police information check process can be a barrier to employment.
“We’ve seen wait times for the clearance of those checks from, at best, two weeks to, at worst, 11 weeks,” he said. “For somebody who’s coming into the door looking for a job, waiting 11 weeks to get step one of the process out of the way is pretty overwhelming.”
Welfair said moving the application online will speed up the process to a certain extent, as information will be sent automatically to police databases and the final results of the check can be sent directly to individuals electronically rather than by mail.
The actual search process – which includes Canada-wide criminal record history, a vulnerable sector search, and police history – will remain the same, she noted.
“So the beginning and end is faster,” Welfair said. “The middle is still a manual, human process that we have to do.”
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