Community directory

Criminal Records Bureau

The Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) is part of the Home Office and provides organisations with access to criminal record information. This allows those organisations to make safer recruitment decisions by identifying people who may be unsuitable for the specific type of work, especially where that work involves children or vulnerable adults. The CRB was launched in March 2002. Since then it has processed over 15 Million checks.

Before the CRB, access to police checks was mainly confined to organisations in the statutory sector for staff who had ‘substantial unsupervised access’ to children. There were many other organisations that carried out similar roles with both children and other vulnerable groups but they could not make use of the process. The CRB allowed many more organisations to access these checks as part of good recruitment practice.

The CRB carries out checks on people who work in specific areas, usually where they will have contact with children or vulnerable adults, but also in some other roles. These appear in the Exceptions Order to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (1974).

For the more information and the latest guidance please go to the website

Opening times:
Monday to Friday: 8.00am - 8.00pm
Saturday: 10.00am - 5.00pm