When you hire a security company to protect your premises, your staff or your assets, you are placing extraordinary trust in the individuals they deploy. The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check is one of the most important tools available to ensure that trust is well-placed. Here is a complete guide to DBS checks in the UK security industry.
The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is an executive agency of the Home Office. It helps organisations make safer recruitment decisions by allowing them to check an individual's criminal record history. This includes convictions, cautions, reprimands and warnings held on the Police National Computer (PNC), as well as — at the higher clearance levels — information held on specialist barring lists.
DBS checks replaced the previous CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) system in 2012. They are not simply a formality — they are an essential safeguard that identifies individuals whose history makes them unsuitable for positions of trust.
Available to any employer for any role, a basic DBS check discloses only unspent convictions — those recent enough that the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 has not yet "spent" them. This is the minimum level of check and provides a limited picture of an individual's history.
Available for specific regulated roles, a standard check discloses both spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands and final warnings. This gives a much fuller picture of an individual's criminal history.
The most comprehensive level, the enhanced DBS check includes everything in the standard check plus relevant information held by local police forces that the police believe is relevant and ought to be disclosed. For roles involving regulated activity with children or vulnerable adults, this check also includes a search of the relevant barring lists, which identify individuals prohibited from certain types of work.
In the security industry, enhanced DBS checks are standard practice for all officers. At Noble Shield Limited, every officer undergoes an enhanced DBS check before being deployed.
What convictions are relevant? The SIA will refuse a licence to applicants with convictions for violence, dishonesty, drugs and several other categories. However, a DBS check provides additional context — an older conviction the SIA may have accepted could still be a factor a client considers material to their specific deployment.
For the security industry, the DBS check is just one component of the broader BS 7858 vetting standard — the British Standard for screening of individuals employed in a security environment. BS 7858 vetting covers a minimum five-year background check including:
BS 7858 compliance is a significant undertaking but it is the industry benchmark for thorough security vetting. It is a core requirement for accreditations including the SIA Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS).
One limitation of the traditional DBS system is that a certificate only reflects information known at the date it was issued. New convictions after the certificate date are not captured. The DBS Update Service addresses this by allowing individuals to subscribe for an annual fee, keeping their certificate current and allowing employers to check its status in real time. Noble Shield encourages all officers to subscribe to the Update Service.
When evaluating a security company, ask specifically:
A professional security company will welcome these questions. If a provider is evasive or cannot provide clear answers, treat it as a significant red flag.
You are entitled to ask for confirmation that all personnel deployed to your site have been vetted to an appropriate standard. You do not have the right to see an individual's DBS certificate (that is private information), but your security provider should be able to confirm that checks have been carried out, at what level, and when. This is standard practice among reputable providers and Noble Shield is happy to provide this confirmation for every deployment.
Noble Shield Limited provides SIA-licensed, fully vetted security officers across Essex, London and Birmingham. Get your free quote today.
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