Overdue fishing licences and other criminal offences

A headteacher’s position was questioned recently, after a CRB check revealed that he had a brush with police over the matter of an overdue fishing licence. The chairman of the school governors received notice of the headteacher’s criminal infringement, and there were questions raised about his suitability to continue in a position of authority.

The Home Office defended the fact that such trivia are returned on CRB checks. "If you have an enhanced CRB check everything will appear and it is then up to the employer," said a spokesperson. "It's better and safer for any contact the person has had with the police to be mentioned."

With the new vetting and barring system, even more trivia will be returned on CRB checks – and as a result, it is likely that they will become less useful. This is really a case of too much information.