In today’s corporate environment it becomes exceedingly crucial to monitor and investigate potential employees due to all the risks involved; exposure employees experience with regards to internal operations, access to cash or other valuable items, opportunities for bribery and so on. You may employ a guard with bad debt who is open to the temptation of bribery to settle his financial status; an undereducated candidate who has forged a qualification in order to obtain his new job title or simply, a criminal who is likely to take any opportunity at hand to commit anything from petty crimes to armed robbery.

The aim of screenings is to determine, as accurately as possible on behalf of Corporate Verification Services’ clients, whether candidates applying for employment have not committed any act that indicates that they are not suitable for employment; a criminal record or any adverse information recorded against him/her and the nature of such record.

No investigative function serves the best interest of the corporate organisation more than the employee background screening process - the background investigation. The humble background investigation remains pre-eminent in its overall importance. Screening applicants through the pre-employment investigation and new employees by means of post-employment investigations is loss prevention in the purest sense. Loss prevention begins internally, with the employee; only following that does it deal with the non-employee.

Ideally, all background investigations should be conducted prior to the job offer. In larger companies, the sheer volume of applicants for employment dictates that only the most critical positions are given a full examination prior to the job offer. Other positions, those considered less critical in terms of risk, can receive a quick initial surface check and later, after the new employee has started work, be subjected to a closer examination. It is imperative that client managers realize that all employees pose a risk, from the senior paymaster to the gardener.

Does the applicant have a criminal record? • Does the applicant have the skill or education as claimed? • Is the applicant financially responsible? Does the applicant have a political or social bias that would mitigate against successful job performance?

CVS offers the following types of individual screenings:

• SAPS Fingerprint Clearances:
  The SAPS fingerprint clearance is the ultimate criminal clearance tool. This requires a full set of fingerprints with an indemnity supplied to the South African Police Services (SAPS) Criminal Record Centre (CRC). These clearances can take from 6 to 8 weeks to process depending on the workload of the SAPS.
• SAPS Identity Number Clearance:
  The SAPS identity number clearance is a fast, but not fool-proof way of clearing individuals. A copy of the applicant's identity document is required.
• Credit Clearance:
  Individuals are cleared for credit at two credit information companies.
• CVS Database Check:
  A database at CVS contains over 1 700 000 individuals who, throughout the years, have been screened or reported on adversely.
• Education Verification:
  Various employment, labour organisations and educational institutions supply information to CVS to enable the verification of educational certificates.

Criminal records can only by obtained from the South African Police Services (SAPS) Criminal Record Centre (CRC) when an indemnity is provided. Without a full set of fingerprints employees cannot be considered cleared of criminal records. Responsible officials must bring this to the attention of all client managers when they assume responsibility for the management of their respective companies. The practice of only using "Identity number clearances" is not recommended. To many inconsistencies with regards to identity numbers have been reported.

CVS (Pty) Ltd takes no responsibility in the correctness or accuracy of the information (SAP 69) supplied by the SAPS CRC