As a professional in talent acquisition, it’s your job to find prospective employees who are not only talented and productive but also capable of positively representing your brand’s values and culture.

Your worst nightmare is accidentally hiring someone with an extensive criminal record that could put your company at risk.

Any incident that occurs as a result endangers your staff, your employees, and potentially your clients, reflecting badly on your business as a whole. And don’t forget the high costs of hiring replacements. The cost of turnover for a single employee is nearly a third of a yearly salary, so making poor hiring decisions can be costly for multiple reasons.

Background screening is your primary weapon against these risks. There are 3 primary criminal record checks that HR departments have to make more informed hiring decisions: basic, enhanced, and vulnerable sector checks.

A question that’s bound to cross your mind as a hiring manager is whether to conduct a basic or enhanced criminal record check with your screening service provider or opt for the vulnerable sector check with local police.

What Is the Basic Criminal Record Check?

The standard criminal record check, using a candidate’s name and date of birth, looks for active criminal cases against an individual. It consults the RCMP’s National Repository of Criminal Records for these indictable offenses for which an individual has not received a pardon.

The basic search includes:

• The RCMP Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) database
• Other local databases
• Guilty rulings under the Youth Criminal Justice Act (within the applicable disclosure period)

However, the basic check does have exceptions. It will not report on summary offenses, which are the least serious offenses under the Canadian Criminal Code. It also excludes pardoned offenses, or cases where the individual has applied to the Government of Canada to have the case removed from records.

If an individual completes a sentence for an offense and has not committed any other crimes, the Government of Canada may issue this pardon, or record suspension, to remove the case from the CPIC database. It will not show up on any basic criminal record check.

How Does the Enhanced Criminal Record Check Compare?

The Enhanced Criminal Record Check covers everything from the basic search, including the CPIC database and Youth Criminal Justice Act findings. The enhanced check digs deeper by searching the Police Information Portal (PIP) as well. Digging into the national data banks, this check is the most comprehensive screening tool employers may use in Canada.

The additional data the PIP provides include:

• Outstanding warrants, judicial orders, peace bonds, probation, and prohibition orders. Searches of the Investigative Databank may require authorization from the contributing agency.
• Summary convictions. The basic check queries an RCMP database that may not have all recent indictable convictions or summary convictions listed. However, the enhanced check does cover summary convictions that are up to 5 years old.
• Discharged findings of guilt. Absolute discharges will show up in enhanced checks for up to 1 year. Conditional discharges show up within 3 years.
• Incidents with police, especially those involving weapons, theft, and violent behavior.
• Other criminal charges that require a court appearance, including restrictive bail or release conditions.

Basic and enhanced checks are trustworthy and relatively fast. Both rely on RCMP approval and use the CPIC database. Both the CPIC and Enhanced CPIC have the same turnaround time generally within 1-4 business hours, but results are typically returned in 15 minutes!

What About the Vulnerable Sector Check?

A Vulnerable Sector Police Check is another type of criminal record check that consults local police records for potentially unsafe behaviors and tendencies in individuals.

This type of check is exclusively for occupations that involve contact with vulnerable individuals, such as children, the disabled, and the elderly. You would conduct vulnerable sector screening if the position you’re hiring for is one of trust and authority over these vulnerable individuals.

Both the CPIC and PIP work together to search their databases for a Vulnerable Sector Check, which may include:

• Cases where the individual was not criminally responsible because of a mental disorder.
• All recorded suspensions if the Minister of Public Safety authorizes their release.
• Withdrawn or dismissed convictions in exceptional cases.

While the Vulnerable Sector Check has its uses in specific industries, it also faces significant limitations that render it a fairly rare tool for companies. For instance, the requirements of the Criminal Records Act must authorize a position to undergo a Vulnerable Sector Check. If they do not, the police cannot conduct a search.

In the majority of cases, an Enhanced Criminal Record Check is more than sufficient during a hiring process, and the turnaround time is a fraction of what the police may achieve for a Vulnerable Sector Check.

Get Your Enhanced Criminal Record Checks Online and Save Time and Money with Hire Performance!

Enhanced Criminal Record Checks provide plenty of information on potential hires from multiple databases like the CPIC and PIP, and is more practical and faster than the Vulnerable Sector Check in most cases.

Another point in favor of enhanced checks is they are available from third-party screening providers, while the police are the only legally authorized entities that may perform Vulnerable Sector Checks.

Do you hire hundreds of employees every year? Simplify and streamline the hiring process with eScreener. 

eScreener improves the hiring process by making it easier for you to obtain criminal record checks, reference checks, credit checks, and other pre-employment information. Try eScreener for free today to accelerate your hiring processes and find better talent faster.