CRB errors label innocent Brits as criminals
The Home Office has been forced to admit that almost 200 people applying for public sector jobs have been wrongly identified as having criminal records.
Errors were made by the in Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) in 193 cases between January 1st 2003 and February 29th this year, either as a result of clerical errors or criminals using the names of innocent people.
The Criminal Records Bureau vets the records of people hoping to work with children or vulnerable members of society.
Home office minister Hazel Blears stressed that the mistakes involved only a “tiny percentage” of the 2.66 million checks the CRB completed last year, after the errors were made public as part of a written response to a parliamentary question by Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesman Mark Oaten MP.
“In some circumstances, applicants’ details are similar and sometimes identical to people who have a criminal record,” Ms Blears wrote. “There are cases where an individual has given an applicant’s personal details to police following criminal activity in an effort to avoid having a police record.
“The disclosure itself informs applicants of a process whereby they can challenge or ‘dispute’ the information presented on their disclosure. The CRB will then liaise with the police to ensure the correct details are recorded.
“In some circumstances, where it is impossible to dissociate a person from a conviction record, the applicant is asked to undergo fingerprinting for elimination purposes.”
The mistakes may have affected the employment prospects of scores of people. A procedure exists for individuals to challenge a CRB finding, but it is long-winded and complicated.
Mr Oaten commented on the answer, saying: “This is another example of the shambolic state of affairs at the CRB. Every single mistake of this kind made by the CRB is extremely serious and it is not acceptable for the Home Office to dismiss this is as a minor issue. These mistakes can make a massive difference to people’s career prospects when they are wrongly labelled as criminals.”
The CRB was established two years ago and almost immediately came under fire after delays in checks for teachers and care workers meant some were forced to start work before they were cleared.
The Home Office told the BBC that backlogs had been cleared up, with 84 per cent of checks now carried out within three weeks.
