Criminal record checks.

[sharkfins]

Interested to know if the royal mail carry out CRB checks.

I do have a minor criminal record from some years ago (only in trouble once!), though I do like the idea of being a postie.

Is my 'criminal past' going to affect my chances if I choose not to disclose?

Ta

[andy2007]

I think you only have to declare convictions that happened within a certain time limit, but I'm not sure.

If you are supposed to declare it, then make sure you do. If you don't and they find out later, it will be treated as a serious disciplinary matter, and you could get sacked.

I wouldn't worry too much about telling them anyway. So long as the conviction isn't relevant to the job (e.g. theft), it's highly unlikley to go against you. They really just want to make sure that you are able to be trusted with the Post.

[Stormproof]

RM do undertake Criminal Record checks, to what level I don't know. I have seen people employed by RM then within 2 weeks they have been escorted from the building and sacked due to not passing these checks. Its best to be honest and disclose any record as if you don't it may come back at haunt you if/when you are employed.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Introduction

One particular kind of information that a person may understandably want to keep confidential is that relating to a past criminal conviction. On the other hand, other people may have a legitimate need to know about previous convictions so as to protect vulnerable people. The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 allows people to start with a clean slate after they have paid their debt to society, but provides for exceptions to this general principle.
Spent convictions and rehabilitation of offenders

How a sentence becomes spent

The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 applies to all types of sentence, whether it is a term of imprisonment, a fine, probation, absolute or conditional discharge, findings in a juvenile court that an offence has been committed, and convictions of certain offences in service disciplinary proceedings.

The length of the rehabilitation period depends on the sentence and runs from the date of the conviction. When the relevant rehabilitation period has expired, the conviction becomes 'spent' and usually will not need to be disclosed in the future, for example, when you are applying for a job, completing an insurance proposal form, or applying for credit facilities or a tenancy of property.

Excepted professions, occupations and offices

A number of professions, occupations and offices have been excepted from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act's general rule that a person does not have to disclose a spent conviction. If you apply to join particular professions, occupations or offices you will normally be asked to disclose all previous convictions including spent ones - although, you must be told why. Furthermore, a spent conviction, or the failure to disclose it, may be a good ground to exclude or dismiss you from one of these professions, occupations or offices.

Excepted professions, occupations and offices

Accountants
Chiropractor
Dealer in securities
Dentists, dental hygienist or dental auxiliary
Director, controller, etc. of insurance company or building society
Firearms dealers
Judicial appointments
Justices' Chief Executives, Justices' Clerks and assistants
Nurses and midwives
Opticians
Osteopath
Pharmaceutical chemists
Police constables
Prison board of visitors
Prison officers
Probation officers
Teachers
Traffic wardens
Lawyers Veterinary surgeons
Manager or trustees of unit trust Medical practitioners

Other excepted occupations include:

• Any office or employment where the question about spent convictions is asked for the purpose of safeguarding national security - for example, if you wish to be employed by the UK Atomic Energy Authority, the Civil Aviation Authority or as an officer of the Crown.

• Certain types of work in health and social services where the work involves access to people over 65, people suffering from serious illness or mental disorder, alcoholics or drug addicts, blind, deaf or dumb people, persons who are substantially and permanently handicapped by illness, injury or congenital deformity, or where the work is concerned with the provision of care, recreation or leisure facilities, schooling, social services, supervision or training, to people under 18.

• Applications for certain certificates or licences - for example, those for firearms, explosives or gaming - require that your spent convictions must be disclosed and allow the licensing authority to take them into account. Failure to disclose a spent conviction could lead to the refusal or loss of the certificate or licence and even to prosecution.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Too see if you conviction is spent or not pop over to this link and check the table - hope it helps

http://www.lbia.co.uk/pdf/Spent_convict ... Jan_04.pdf

[sharkfins]

Hi,

I was convicted three years ago, thus it is not 'spent', irony being, it was a totally victimless 'crime'; it appears I am the only victim due to being so.
Just want to know if RM are big on CBR checks, I understand they have many employees, so I am optomistic and will probably give it a try in any case.

[bexhil palace]

If RM do criminal checks, how comes L&C got a job.
There record at RM is nothing short of criminal. :cfo :lfo

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Hi,

I was convicted three years ago, thus it is not 'spent', irony being, it was a totally victimless 'crime'; it appears I am the only victim due to being so.
Just want to know if RM are big on CBR checks, I understand they have many employees, so I am optomistic and will probably give it a try in any case.

Unfortunately since the Dispatches program tarred us all as light fingered pirates, they are fairly keen on it. You may get accepted but if they find out about a conviction you have not told them about, there is no doubt they will sack you. If the conviction is not too bad and does not go towards theft or violence, they may admire your honesty if you are upfront about it.

If you are accepted, the longer you work for RM the better chance they have for uncovering the conviction so be honest and up front and admit the conviction is my suggestion.


Good luck.

[Carnoustie]

Good advice. If they find out you witheld that information, it means you were dishonest at the time you applied for the job. If I was a potential employer, my first thought would be 'can I risk continuing to employ a person who has shown themselves to be dishonest before I even gave them the job?' It would explain why people are dismissed when CRB checks reveal previously hidden convictions.

[baldrick]

Yes if you fail to disclose a conviction they can use that to get rid of you at any time if they want to - if you are a problem, if your manager doesn't like you, if they're cutting jobs etc. Unless it's for something involving dishonesty, fraud, theft etc it probably would not be held against you.

[Lounge Lizard]

Hi,

I was convicted three years ago, thus it is not 'spent', irony being, it was a totally victimless 'crime'; it appears I am the only victim due to being so.
Just want to know if RM are big on CBR checks, I understand they have many employees, so I am optomistic and will probably give it a try in any case.

Tell us what your crime was and we might be able to better advise you on your chances of employment.

[norbet colon]

Hi,

I was convicted three years ago, thus it is not 'spent', irony being, it was a totally victimless 'crime'; it appears I am the only victim due to being so.
Just want to know if RM are big on CBR checks, I understand they have many employees, so I am optomistic and will probably give it a try in any case.

Unfortunately since the Dispatches program tarred us all as light fingered pirates, they are fairly keen on it. You may get accepted but if they find out about a conviction you have not told them about, there is no doubt they will sack you. If the conviction is not too bad and does not go towards theft or violence, they may admire your honesty if you are upfront about it.

If you are accepted, the longer you work for RM the better chance they have for uncovering the conviction so be honest and up front and admit the conviction is my suggestion.


Good luck.

there was mass panic & typical RM knee-jerk reactions to the shafting they got on Dispatches . Letters to Branches were sent out by the CWU , RM had been sacking newish staff without going through disciplinary procedure .

RM's "solution " to C4 Dispatches was appointing Crozier as CEO---Enough said !

[not me]

they do check.
one of our guys(good few years service) got done for carrying some drugs.
didnt inform RM but they pulled him up a few months later.
didnt get sacked but got a 'serious' (?) so is on good behaviour for the next 2 years

[leiwolf]

what happen if you get a caution after you started work with royal mail, should that be disclosed to royal mail. And what happened if the caution was over 5years ago, even tho that caution is wiped cleaned could they still sack you for it?

[norbet colon]

what happen if you get a caution after you started work with royal mail, should that be disclosed to royal mail. And what happened if the caution was over 5years ago, even tho that caution is wiped cleaned could they still sack you for it?

Can anyone put a Rehabilitation of Offenders Act link on ?