Criminal Records Bureau Disclosure Unit

The Criminal Records Bureau (CRB), an Executive Agency of the Home Office, provides wider access to criminal record information through its disclosure service.

This service enables organisations in the public, private and voluntary sectors to make safer recruitment decisions by identifying candidates who may be unsuitable for certain work, especially that involve children or vulnerable adults. The CRB was established under Part V of the Police Act 1997 and was launched in March 2002.

Organisations wishing to use the service can ask successful job applicants to apply for one of two types of check.  The type of check required will depend upon the nature of the position.  These are called Enhanced and Standard Disclosures, both require a fee but are free of charge to volunteers.

Standard disclosures show current and spent convictions, cautions, reprimands and warnings held on the Police National Computer. If the post involves working with children or vulnerable adults, the following may also be searched:

  • Protection of Children Act (POCA) List
  • Protection of Vulnerable Adults (POVA) List
  • Information that is held under Section 142 of the Education Act 2002 (formerly List 99)

Enhanced disclosures contain the same information as the Standard Disclosure but with the addition of any relevant and proportionate information held by the local police forces. For Enhanced Disclosures an additional check is required and that check is carried out by the police. A check may be sent to any number of forces, not solely those in whose area the applicant has lived, to carry out searches of locally held records.

Performance Service Standards

Performance Service Standards exist between the CRB and all police forces, and the performance of each police force is monitored against these standards. Access to past and current police performance figures can be viewed on the CRB website.

Time taken

Within 10 days  

        75%

Within 14 days

        95%

Within 25 days

        99%

Within 60 days

      100%

The volume of Enhanced Disclosures processed by North Yorkshire Police is increasing annually. The table below shows the number of applications processed by North Yorkshire Police each financial year, using CRB figures.

Financial year

Number of checks processed

2002-2003

22,888

2003-2004

39,419

2004-2005

45,232

2005-2006

54,396

2006-2007

60,493

2007-2008

69,189

2008-2009

74,111

Total

365,728

Projected 2009-2010

97,973

Frequently asked questions

1. How do I apply for a CRB check?

Comprehensive guidance to the application process is available on the CRB website.

2. How long will it take North Yorkshire Police to complete the checks for my application?

North Yorkshire Police CRB Disclosure Unit is committed to completing CRB checks in a thorough manner and, where possible, aims to return checks to the CRB within 10 days of receipt.

3. At what stage is my application?

An online tracking service is available on the CRB website.

4. How do I dispute information disclosed by North Yorkshire Police?

To dispute information disclosed by a police force you must raise the dispute, in the first instance, through the CRB dispute procedure.

If your question is not listed above please visit the searchable FAQs on the CRB website.

Contact details

You can write to us at:

CRB Disclosure Unit
Police Office
72 High Street
Northallerton
North Yorkshire
DL7 8ES

Or email us at CRBDisclosure@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk, or phone us on 0845 60 60 24 7, during normal office hours.

Please note that North Yorkshire Police CRB Disclosure Unit cannot discuss individual applications under any circumstances.