Sometimes, working with people can prove to be a challenge, especially so when it comes to sharing or entrusting some responsibilities with them that involves a lot of trust. Employees everywhere and anywhere are more aware of these trust and security issues, more so when it comes to welcoming another employee as part of their human resources. That is why for some companies, getting hold of criminal records of a potential employee is so important.

Criminal records document the history of a person in terms of certain crimes he has done. Depending on the countries and states, these records might contain major offenses – felonies, sexual offenses, etc – and actual conviction where the offender was proven to be guilty, arrests, and dismissed or pending charges. Some records might go the extra mile and will document minor offenses such a speeding or driving under the influence. Records hold verified information, and this is very important especially now that getting a fake ID or a certificate of some sort can be very easy. Leasers and tenants, before accepting new tenants, sometimes investigate if there are existing records to ensure the safety of the other tenant, and of their welfare as well. In Canada, the Criminal Records Act states that any individual whose work is related to children must undergo a Criminal Record Check to protect children from any sexual offenses that might be posed to them. These people will include those who work at schools, in the government – especially in Social Services and in the juvenile court – or even those who work as nannies, and babysitters.

Criminal records are also important for businesses that involves working often with money or different people. Banks are especially careful of granting loans to make sure that the person pays back the money, so a criminal offense such as fraud, money laundering, or embezzlement will warn them to take extra caution. Even investors sometimes review a person’s criminal history before putting out a huge amount of money to a person asking for some backers.

If you are looking to hiring a person for a certain job, you might want to ask if they have a criminal record, and if they have, if they can present a police clearance. But, should you have more doubts, there are agencies and companies who would be willing to help you out to ensure your security.