Do lockdown offences affect DBS checks?
Alarmingly, at the end of April 2020, the U.K government had recorded over 9000 fines concerning lockdown. The majority related to people breaking the rules of lockdown. However, as soon as the restrictions slowly got lifted, police found themselves subject to stopping large gatherings and sent many fines.
Such individuals who found themselves subject to a fine started to worry. As even though the penalty was not an arrest, individuals couldn’t help but wonder if it would appear on a future DBS check?
Fixed Penalty System
In the lockdown, the police gave fines under the fixed penalty system. This is a system, which gives police a reason to provide an instant fine, preventing them from arresting, questioning, charging or taking that person to court. The reason behind this is that it’s a simple and easy way to deal with small criminals.
Similarly, these types of penalties are often used by the police to fine people for dropping litter in public places or breaking local laws. Typically, these are minor issues, and if paid, they’re not treated by the police as a criminal matter.
What details does a fixed penalty record?
A fixed penalty involves basic details taken by the police. They do this to become aware of the repeat offenders breaking the local laws. Once a local law is broken like lockdown when it’s broken again, the fine of the fixed penalty increases.
Similarly, the only way police can know who is a repeat offender is by seeing previous fines. This process proves concerning for some people, as they worry their name could be on the system.
Fines and enhanced DBS checks
While there are many different types of DBS checks, an enhanced DBS check is the most thorough form of a check in the U.K. This check displays a large amount of information, including current convictions and previous cautions.
The police also have the right to share any information on your file, which they deem relevant. Such information could involve older convictions which are under other circumstances or previous fines that are under the fixed penalty scheme.
Often, the police undergo a screening process which allows them to make the decision what to disclose on a DBS check. Usually, they look at the type of offence or intelligence and the applied job.
The majority of the time, it is rare that a fixed penalty will be relevant. However, if there are multiple fixed penalties within a short time frame, the police may decide to disclose it.
