It has been the practice of the government to seek police verification on the antecedents of candidates clearing recruitment process of various government agencies. But now, private companies too have started using the services of the police to check on the candidates seeking jobs with them. “This is a good sign. Though it is the private companies that benefit the most, from the police point of view, such verification process prevents any possible offence in the company by people with criminal background,” Superintendent of Police V.Balakrishnan said.
The police have been doing this verification for private companies for a nominal fee. While the fee for companies seeking verification of conduct of a prospective employee is Rs.3,000, any individual seeking a conduct certificate from the police has to pay Rs.1,000.
In 2012, 1,018 petitions seeking verification for private jobs were received by the Madurai District Police. This year, 179 applications have been received.
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The verification process would be more helpful for companies that employ people to handle cash, high-value materials like gold, or high-value data. “Such verification is important in the security point of view too. For example, ground handling agencies and airlines have to get the conduct of employees certified by the police before the Airports Authority of India issues them passes to enter airports,” a police officer said. Stating that many companies were dependent on manpower agencies for recruitment, the SP said the aim of the agencies would be only to push as many persons as possible into the company’s roll to get higher income.
“In some cases in Tiruppur, the companies had only the names of the persons employed with them. Not even their addresses were available with them. When such workers flee after committing some crime, it becomes difficult to trace them,” Mr.Balakrishnan said.
During police verification the complete history of any individual is obtained. “If somebody has a shady character, it is reflected in the police report, even if there is no police case registered against any individual,” the SP said.
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However, a police officer said it was only an additional burden on the police, for the fee collected went into the State’s exchequer.