Vetting Check To Join A Recovery Vehicle Company.

[Chez91]

Top and bottom, my boyfriend has had to complete a 'vetting' check in order to work for a recovery company who work close with local police. He failed this :(
He hasn't had anything major on his record, especially in the last 4 years. He made the company aware of all these, and they were confident these wouldnt affect him.
However his dad has. His dad is currently under investigation but has yet to be charged with anything (cannot go into detail) but it is quite serious and he is definitely going to be charged. Will this affect my fella's result ?

[TWR]

It seems they are matching them with the same brush Chez?

[Chez91]

So because of his dad, they cannot pass him? Can they so this? Is this common?
I assume he can appeal.?

[factor-fiction]

I am not sure we can assume that, TWR/Chez- and even if they were it may not be admitted. It may be to do with what you said: " He hasn't had anything major on his record, especially in the last 4 years."

[factor-fiction]

What does that sentence mean? He has had other things on his record in the last 4 years? He had some major things but they were more than 4 years ago?

[Chez91]

By nothing major I meant fishing without a license. Which resulted in a fine. He is 24 now but when he was 19 he was charged with common assault, but received a caution for this.
Also he spoke to the company about all this, declared any trouble he had been in and they claimed in their experience they would not affect the judgment.

[Chez91]

Also the fishing fine was when he was roughly 18, so he wasnt quite a minor but was still in his younger days, do they not take this into consideration? And do cautions etc wipe off record after 5 years?

[kvalidir]

Can you elaborate please on what sort of 'vetting check' you mean? Is it a proper DBS check or just an internal company check?

[Chez91]

To be perfectly honest, Kvalidir, im not sure. The company works with the police. Recovering crashed vehicles etc. So from what I know the police carry out said vetting check to eliminate god knows what.

[factor-fiction]

Is the dad's line of work similar and/or has your son worked for his dad?

[Chez91]

Factor-fiction. No to either. The dad has been self employed for a number of years, recently took early retirement and the boyfriend is currently in the process of leaving the army on medical discharge. That's another thing, the army will carry out similar checks. Checks he obviously passed as he gas been in the forces for the last 4 years. And is only leaving as they consider his injury from Herrick 18 to have deemed him un-deployable on further operations.

[black_cat51]

i dont think cautions ever wipe off records (unless gained when a minor)

[boxtops]

By any chance do your boyfriend and his father have the same name?

[Zacs-Master]

Maybe the company really did have an objection to his past and are just using the vetting process to avoid telling him directly?

[Chez91]

Hi all, yeah they both have the same surname.
We are thinking its more to do with what he has done personally. Doesn't seem right using his dad's trouble against him

[Peter Pedant]

Chez - there are quite a few things you dont know - like he failed because of the check. They could have decided they just didnt want him

however....

The firm has data with your boy friends name on it - such as the check and so the data is his under the data protection act
and so he can ask for it ( as in demand it as it is his data )

that would tell you what went wrong

here - follow the steps

http://ico.org.uk/for_the_public/personal_information

and good luck

[Peter Pedant]

I think the employer is being t+rty
I dont think there is any difference between the employer working closely with the police and a supermarket down the road
they all have to follow their own rules and in this case - data protection laws

and no there should be no link in accessible data banks between people with the same surname.

[boxtops]

I wondered if they had the same first name as well, and it was a genuine slip up, that the dad's record had got mixed up with the son's.

[themas]

PP You say "I dont think there is any difference between the employer working closely with the police and a supermarket down the road
they all have to follow their own rules"

There could be. The police may insist on the check as a condition of the contract with the firm.

Clearly, we don't know enough about this to make a worthwhile judgement. For example, who told him he had failed? Was it the police or the employer? Has he asked for the reason? What was he told? How much of this is in writing - did he do the vetting check in writing or was it verbal? Is there a written decision from the police? Was it the police who decided he failed, or the employer?

I'm not suggesting answers to all this are posted here - just indicating it can be quite complex & he needs to do whatever he can (Including DP Act request if necessary) to get to the bottom of it.

[Chez91]

The vetting was a written format, certain questions asked etc. The police have told the company they cannot pass Danny (boyfriend) which leads to my next question. It is obviously the police that are holding the data on him, could he request this from the police or is it just the companies that have to do this?
He has asked for the reason from the company but they don't know, as the police have just point blank said 'fail'

[buildersmate]

I'm not sure if there is a parallel here, but in situations where an employee applies to work for an organisation that has contracts with the MOD and the role requires security clearance, if the security checks fail the recruitment fails. You cannot get a second opinion or the reasoning behind it.

If a contractor wishes to work with a Government department, it is generally for that department to have the say on who is an acceptable employee and who is not.

I agree it is frustrating.