Can Police Run a Background Check On Anyone UK?
The ability to run a background check is very powerful, and in the wrong hands, it can be used for the wrong reasons. It's because of this that the public has become worried about police and private investigators who have the skills to perform intensive background checks.
A background check that is carried out without merit or consent can be a gross invasion of privacy. Therefore, many people want to know if the police can perform investigator background checks on them for any reason.
For What Reason Would The Police Perform A Background Check?
The most obvious reason why a police officer will perform a background check is if it is relevant to an ongoing investigation. For example, the police may want to find out more about a suspect, or they may want to find out more about a victim so they can come up with a list of possible suspects.
In case of a missing persons' investigation, the police can perform a background check on the missing person to find out if there are places they frequented or whether they have a history of disappearing for a while before showing up later. The police cannot perform a background check on anyone unless it is relevant to the job that they're doing i.e. part of an investigation. There are a number of low-level checks that the police can perform immediately such as checking the details of your driving license in case of a traffic violation.
What Is The Difference Between Private Investigator Background Checks And Police Background Checks?
Background checks carried out by the police bare some similarities to those conducted by private investigators. However, there are a lot of differences between the two.
These include:
- Private investigator background checks are initiated by individuals or private entities while police background checks are usually part of an ongoing criminal investigation
- Private investigator background checks require consent from the subject of the investigation while police background checks can be performed either with consent or using a warrant
- Private investigators can perform background checks as part of a civil investigation while the police can't
- The police can access more information on many matters while private investigators can be limited by the available databases etc.
What Information Can Police Find Out In A Background Check?
In background checks performed by both police and private investigators the information uncovered is usually limited to the scope of the investigation. However, the police are able to access a lot more information. This is because the databases that they have access to contain a lot more information.
Additionally, they can go through certain records without the consent of the subject of the investigation if they have a legal warrant. Some of the information the police can find out include:
- Past arrests, convictions, warnings etc.
- Current and past acquaintances particularly those considered part of criminal investigations
- Past addresses and hangouts
- Information relating to your vehicle including locations where your number plate has been photographed etc.
Although this makes it seem like the police have the ability to go through every detail of your life, it's important to remember that in many cases, they must be able to prove that they have a very good reason for performing the background check.
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