Police Verification for job: What employers need to know

Recently, the Economic Times reported that Anthony, an ex-HR manager of two pvt. Firms were held liable for misappropriation of funds.

The story goes like this: Anthony stole the provident funds (PF) of 23 employees at the first firm. When the firm discovered the theft, they fired Anthony and filed a police case against him. Later, in 2015, Anthony joined another firm and yet again stole PF from 5 employees.

The second firm could have avoided falling for the fraud altogether, only if they ran a police verification on Anthony before hiring him.

This would have helped them identify criminal tendencies in Anthony and easily prevent potential fraud.

What is Police Verification for employees?

Police Verification helps organizations identify any adverse criminal record(s) against a candidate. It comes under the police jurisdiction of the area where the candidate resides.

Usually, passport/visa issuing authorities and recruiting organizations (as a part of their employee BGV process) use police verification to verify an employee’s background.

What parameters are verified during police verification for jobs?

1. Address

The local police verify if the candidate truly lives at the address that s/he has claimed during the application process. This address might be temporary or permanent.

2. Criminal record check

The police search their data for any past criminal records against the candidate’s name

If the police find a legitimate address and no past criminal records against the candidate, they (police) grant them (candidates) a Police Clearance Certificate.

What is a Police Clearance Certificate?

A Police Clearance Certificate (or PCC) is provided to the candidates after the completion of their police verification.

In India, a PCC confirms an individual’s residential address and that he isn’t involved in any criminal activity as per local police records.

A candidate can obtain a police clearance certificate for a job from the local police authorities. Here’s what a PCC by Mumbai police looks like:

P.S.: Only people who are 18 and above can issue a PCC.

Why is a Police Verification Certificate important for a job?

Every bad hire is capable of causing a significant amount of damage to an organization and its reputation. Hence, when it comes to hiring, organizations appoint background verification vendors to identify any red flags related to their prospective employees.

Past criminal record against any candidate is a major red flag. As they are capable of repeating the same in the future, and hence, are a potential threat to your organization. Moreover, an employee’s bad image can directly affect your company’s reputation. Plus, they can also be a bad influence on your other employees.

Organizations conduct police verification for employees to spot records like:

• Misdemeanour: An offense for which a sentence of imprisonment ranges between 15 days and one year

• Felony: An offense for which a sentence of imprisonment is more than one year

• Violation: A non-criminal offense for which a sentence of imprisonment is equal to or less than 15 days

By eliminating the ones with an adverse police verification report, organizations can avoid an adverse hire.

What is the turnaround time to receive a police clearance certificate after the application?

The usual turnaround time for your candidate to receive a PCC is 15-20 days. But, this might change as per the process and other criteria.

Here are the documents required for Police Verification for a Job

The following are the documents that must be maintained on hand during the police verification certificate application process:

• Letter from the company (in the case of a working employee)

• Bonafide Certificate (in case of a student)

• Copy of your passport

• Copy of your visa

• A written request to the Principal Secretary

• Lease/Rental agreement

Why combine Police Background Verification for employees and Court Record Checks?

Police Verification only helps identify an individual’s criminal activity in a specific area/locality. But, what if the individual has been involved in an adverse case at some other place within the country?

Here, court record checks save us!

By running a PAN India court record check, you can spot any criminal record against the individual, no matter where s/he has committed it. Combining both police and court record verification gives your organization 360-degree protection from candidates with criminal history.

Plus, police verification surfaces recent records while court records go way back. No matter how old a legal case is, a court record check will surface it (unless an individual gets it resolved with the help of an attorney).

At IDfy, we run online police verification for employees, along with a court and tribunal records check. We check through all FIR, court, and tribunal databases to verify if a candidate has a criminal background. And help businesses make better-informed hiring decisions.