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News Release
Commissionaires Opens Third Site to meet Increasing Demand for Background Checks
Commissionaires Shaharyar Shaukat,
Main Street ID Services Professional
December 9, 2009, Vancouver, BC -- Vancouver’s immigration applicants, bouncers and locksmiths have something in common--they all need criminal background checks. To meet the increasing demand for identification checks, Commissionaires BC has just opened their third digital-fingerprinting site, located at 8157 Main Street in Vancouver. The service, offered by friendly knowledgeable professionals, makes criminal record checks faster for Vancouverites applying for immigration, citizenship, employment, international adoptions, and security licences.
Commissionaires’ records show that demand for police clearance for employment reasons has grown 40% in the last year. Other trends they are seeing: services for immigration purposes represents 50% of demand, and the advent of mandatory security licensing in BC has become a major reason for service requirements.
Allen Batchelar, CEO of Commissionaires BC believes the reason for this increased need for security clearance is a combination of the 9-11 terrorist attacks and the breakdown of trust in the business sector. “We expect criminal background checks for immigration applicants or those working in the security field, but recently more and more groups are requiring it. Employers want complete reassurance about who they are hiring or bringing on as a volunteer,” says Batchelar.
Most police background checks require fingerprints. Digitally scanning fingerprints is a relatively new technology that significantly speeds up the application process. “It’s not like in the television show CSI. In the real world you can’t run fingerprints in five seconds,” says Batchelar, “but our digital system is the fastest available in Canada. Now it’s a ten day turn around instead of 120 days for the traditional ink and roll method.” Commissionaires was the first of two providers, working closely with the RCMP, to scan fingerprints and submit them electronically for processing.
The surrounding new immigrant population was part of the reason for choosing the site at Main Street and Marine Drive, but the proximity of the recently opened Canada Line played a deciding role in choosing south Vancouver over Richmond as the company’s third digital-fingerprinting location. Their downtown site has been open since 1998 and they opened in Surrey in December 2008.
The new office is located in the PICS site at 8157 Main Street. The Progressive Intercultural Community Services, or PICS, provides a variety of programs and services to assist new and recent immigrants with their transition within Canada. “We chose to work with PICS because they are well known in the community, and are a respected organization that is already offering services to new immigrants,” explains Batchelar.
“The digital fingerprinting service is a great addition to what we offer. It has worked out really well in Surrey, so it makes sense to include it among the services available here in Vancouver,” says Charan Gill, Chief Executive Officer of PICS. The public can phone 604 646 3351 for more information.
Commissionaires Digital Fingerprinting System
How digital fingerprinting works & the cost
Digital fingerprinting is the electronic capture of a person’s fingerprints via an optical scanner at a capture station. The scanned fingerprints, along with the application details, are then formatted into a standardized electronic package that is attached and emailed, via a secure link, direct to the RCMP’s Canadian Criminal Real Time Information System (CCRTIS).
CCRTIS compares the fingerprint package against the RCMP’s criminal record database. If no record is present, the RCMP will issue a certificate indicating a clear record. If the applicant does have a criminal record this will be indicated in the results. Commissionaires BC does not store the digital fingerprint information, and RCMP are not allowed to keep it on file unless the person is applying to the police force or military.
No appointments are necessary. Digital cost is $45 plus GST (plus $25 RCMP fee if applicable).
Ink & roll is $30 plus GST. Commissionaires’ digital process is fast, efficient and clean and normally takes approximately 20 minutes to complete. The traditional ink and roll method take approximately ten minutes to complete. Police clearances are also offered and verified through the CPIC database in Ottawa and the cost is $35 plus GST.
Commissionaires BC
Commissionaires BC is British Columbia’s largest security organization, providing private and public sector clients with complete security solutions. Commissionaires in BC protect air and seaports, border crossings and government facilities. They work in many locations, including hospitals, ports, schools, government buildings and commercial enterprises. Every security solution or professional service that Commissionaires BC provides draws on the proven experience of highly trained former military and police personnel, who are the mainstay of its team of more than 1,600 professionals. Commissionaires services include: security guarding, enforcement, identification services, training and security consulting. More information at: www.commissionaires.bc.ca.
Media Contact:
Patricia Robitaille
PR Strategies Inc.
604 873 0080
probitaille@shaw.ca
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