Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Criminal recordsLatest NewsRecruitment & retention

Criminal Records Bureau branded unapproachable by employee procurement agency Commensura

by Greg Pitcher 24 Jan 2007
by Greg Pitcher 24 Jan 2007

The beleaguered Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) has been branded “the least approachable organisation in the public sector” by its second biggest customer.

Julian Young, chief executive of employee procurement agency Comensura, said he had grown frustrated at being fobbed off by the Criminal Records Bureau.

He claimed that after several letters to the body, he was finally given a date for a meeting, only for it to be cancelled on the day, and put back by two months.

Comensura buys £250m of public sector staffing and works with recruitment agencies and firms, including the Carphone Warehouse.

Young said: “We have been enormously concerned at some of the gaps in the process used to screen individuals in high-risk roles.”

The Criminal Records Bureau was slammed by recruiters earlier this month when it emerged that more than 27,000 paper files containing details of crimes committed by UK citizens abroad have failed to make it on to the Police National Computer since 2001.

This Home Office blunder means rapists, murderers and other offenders could apply for jobs in the UK and come through CRB checks clean.

Comensura believes its Safeguarding technology can offer a step towards eliminating employer risk from issues such as this. But the firm insists that the CRB will not sit down and discuss the idea.

“The whole principle behind the CRB is to protect the public community,” said Young. “But it has to be the least approachable organisation in the public sector.”

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

A spokesman for the Home Office said a meeting with Comensura had been cancelled because CRB chief executive Vince Gaskell was on holiday. It has been rearranged for March.

However, the Safeguarding system would not be sanctioned by the CRB. A spokesman said this was because it allowed individuals to take an approval from one job to another, regardless of what they had done in between.

Greg Pitcher

previous post
Employment Appeal Tribunal ruling on Royal Bank of Scotland’s stress unfair dismissal is a reprieve from disaster
next post
Unions agree pay settlement with Dumfries and Galloway Council

You may also like

Number of police working second jobs doubles

15 Jul 2025

Mansion House speech: will employers’ pension contributions rise?

15 Jul 2025

University staff to strike over hybrid working curbs

15 Jul 2025

Employees voting with feet as return-to-office pressure increases...

15 Jul 2025

Businesses warned against reducing recruitment in favour of...

15 Jul 2025

Postmasters could take ownership of Post Office

14 Jul 2025

Ethnicity and disability pay gaps: Ready to report?...

14 Jul 2025

Manager dismissed after covert recording with HR wins...

14 Jul 2025

Food sector warned it is facing a workforce...

14 Jul 2025

Gregg Wallace investigation: 45 allegations upheld

14 Jul 2025

  • Empower and engage for the future: A revolution in talent development (webinar) WEBINAR | As organisations strive...Read more
  • Empowering working parents and productivity during the summer holidays SPONSORED | Businesses play a...Read more
  • AI is here. Your workforce should be ready. SPONSORED | From content creation...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+