Lancs driving instructors in criminal record shock (From Lancashire Telegraph)
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Lancs driving instructors in criminal record shock
8:20pm Tuesday 9th September 2008 in News
HUNDREDS of Lancashire driving instructors may never have received criminal record checks, it has emerged.
The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) has revealed to the Lancashire Telegraph that it is in the middle of checking the background of the UK’s 44,700 approved driving instructors.
It means that hundreds of the 2,100 driving teachers in Lancashire may not have been vetted - meaning even some sex offenders could be working as instructors.
Two East Lancashire MPs labelled the news “surprising” and “shocking”, and called on DSA bosses to tighten up the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks process.
Hyndburn MP Greg Pope said: “I am pretty shocked by this because I had always assumed that driving instructors, who work mostly with young people, would be CRB-checked.
“I welcome that they are now doing it but it seems to be long overdue.
“They are often going to be in a car with teenage girls so I am very surprised they have not been vetted.”
Nigel Evans, MP for Ribble Valley, added: “There will be a fair churn in the profession and people will be entering it on a regular basis so they need to ensure that proper checks are taking place.
“I am surprised and I think driving instructors will be surprised it has taken the DSA so long to get to grips with it.”
In response to a Freedom of Information Act from the Lancashire Telegraph, the DSA revealed that it was “in the process” or carrying out CRB checks on Lancashire’s 2,114 instructors.
It said it could not estimate how many were still waiting to be vetted but checks so far had not returned any instructors on the Sex Offenders Register.
However, nationally, only 58 per cent of instructors have so far been checked.
Comments(5)
brok
says...
9:09pm Tue 9 Sep 08
1)A good number of driving instructors are women.
2)How many complaints have been made against driving instructors?
3)What is the value of a system (CRB) when all it proves is that someone has not been caught or convicted.
3)It takes approximately 12 weeks to process a CRB check, what do we do - stop these people from doing their jobs for three months?
4) Teachers, nurses, social workers, scout masters uncle Tom Cobbley and all are becoming subject to this meaningless test.
5) For every CRB check the government charged a nice fat fee.
Statistically, there has been no reduction in sex offences or abuse cases since CRB checks first began. (National Statistics).
CRB checks have to be renewed periodically at the same fee.Even when a person moves to a new employer a new check has to be performed even if that person had a CRB check two weeks before the move.
The situation is unjust, ineffective and is purely useful as a government money spinner like the "theory test" and the excruciatingly expensive driving test.
New teachers and social workers are waiting for their CRB 'clearance' before they can take up new and important posts; the backlog is phenomenal add 20,000 driving instructors to the total by all means. This incompetent government is grinding to a stop anyway.
portolibero
says...
10:26pm Tue 9 Sep 08
TONY WALES
says...
4:50pm Wed 10 Sep 08
Also a CRB check is required for each new position applied for, and not subject to renewal, if the person does not change his/her job.
The only people who object to them I have found is people who have criminal records, and don't want anybody to find out.
sandbagger
says...
1:01am Fri 12 Sep 08
Some convicts are alleged to have jumped ship with a demotion to be driving examiners before being expelled when their record was to be revealed with CRB checks. After complaints by honest instructors the DSA reluctantly agreed to CRB check examiners - and it has now started - so no more hypocrisy, hopefully.
But the CRB checks will NOT identify those 'crooks' who have not been put before the courts, and there are hundreds upon hundreds of them, too.
After many years in 'government' service and holding a top level secuity clearance necessary for me to investigate 'alleged wrong-do-ers' who had already been cleared by police checks, I can assure you that many thousands of people get away with much before eventually being caught. Sadly, it's then far too late for the innocent victims of these 'criminals'..One such person had got away with his disgusting behaviour for 35 years before being caught. I was determined to get the 'barsteward' put away, and sure enough, he got what he deserved, but it was rather late in his life..
So, not even the Enhanced CRB checks for driving instructors are going to identify all of the 'wrong-do-ers' in the profession or seeking to enter it..Unfortuneately!
evolve
says...
5:30pm Wed 27 Jul 11
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