Sussex Police receives extra funding to help process DBS checks on time

The Disclosure and Barring Service checks are carried out by the force to help employers make sure potential staff are suitable to work with vulnerable groups, including children.

The checks are supposed to take no more than 60 days to complete.

But, during a meeting with Chief Constable Jo Shiner, Police & Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne pointed out that some were taking up to 100 days.

Asking why things were taking so long, she said: “Obviously this is of concern and it could have a detrimental impact on both the applicant and their employers.”

Acknowledging that the backlog of checks was not acceptable, CC Shiner explained that the team had a workload of 7,600 cases, ‘well under half’ of which had been dealt with within the 60 days.

An increase in demand was forecast for the coming year, while staff turnover had been higher than expected.

CC Shiner said the DBS had provided funding for four posts to help ease the pressure, with recruitment expected to start imminently.

Pointing out that many other police forces were struggling with the same problem, she added: “We know that [the recruitment] will have a significant impact in terms of some of that backlog, which I agree is not acceptable.

“I’m not going to sit here and say we are delivering the service we should be delivering, because we’re not.

“The waiting times are too long and I acknowledge the impact that can have on some people – not in all cases but on some of the more complex cases where we have to go for additional information, then that does take a longer time.”