OTTAWA, February 13, 2012 – Canadians who want to work or volunteer with children, the elderly and other vulnerable citizens can now have their vulnerable sector (VS) checks completed more quickly. Thanks to a new RCMP process, private fingerprinting companies are now permitted on behalf of a police service to submit prints electronically to the RCMP.
A VS check is part of the screening process used by organizations if prospective volunteers or employees will be working in positions where they will be in close contact or have authority over vulnerable people and is intended to protect vulnerable Canadians from sex offenders or other potentially dangerous criminals.
A VS check is completed by the police service in the jurisdiction where the applicant lives and requires police to check police information databases and to take fingerprints if the applicant’s gender and date of birth match to a pardoned sex offender. The prints are verified by the RCMP’s Canadian Criminal Real-Time Identification Service (CCRTIS). The process can take up to five weeks or longer if fingerprints are submitted on paper.
However, VS checks can be completed within days if the fingerprints are submitted electronically. Until recently, the faster option was available only if the applicant’s local police service already had the technology needed, known as LiveScan devices, to submit fingerprints electronically.
“Today, there are more than 100 police jurisdictions across Canada with LiveScan devices,” said Public Safety Minister Vic Toews. “While that number continues to grow, having the opportunity to use private fingerprinting companies provides Canadians with an option for faster service if they live in a police jurisdiction that doesn’t currently have a LiveScan. This initiative is about making sure citizens don’t have to wait weeks before being accepted into a job or volunteering in our communities.”
With the new process, if an applicant’s local police service does not yet have a LiveScan device, he or she can request to have their fingerprints taken by an RCMP accredited, certified private fingerprinting company. The local police service will provide the applicant with the documentation they need to proceed. The applicant can decide which certified, accredited company they want to submit the fingerprints. The results of the check will be sent to the applicant’s local police service within 2-3 business days when there is no match to a fingerprint holding.
Fees for the service may vary by municipality and company.
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For more information, please contact:
RCMP Media Relations
Tel: 613-843-5999
