The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission’s (ACIC) National Police Checking Service (NPCS) protects the Australian community through the delivery of Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Checks.
Working closely with state and territory police and the Australian Federal Police, the NPCS provides timely criminal history background checks to support informed decisions about the suitability of applicants to hold positions of trust. These include employment and volunteering positions, citizenship, visa and immigration decisions, occupational and firearm licences, and entitlements to work with children and vulnerable people.
The NPCS also works with organisations to help deliver major events across Australia. This work places the NPCS at the heart of ensuring the safety of employees, attendees and service providers through the timely delivery of criminal history information.
In 2025, the NPCS supported the Australian federal election, working quickly with one of our accredited bodies to undertake more than 50,000 checks for people involved in supporting election activities across Australia.
Executive Director Policing Information and Checking Services Jeremy Johnson said that demand for checks continues to grow.
“In a clear sign of the vital role the service plays in supporting community safety across Australia, in the last financial year the NPCS received more than 7.2 million checks.”
“So far this year we are well on track to exceed these numbers and will come close to 8 million checks for the year,” Mr Johnson said.
As part of the Australian Government’s National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse, the ACIC is responsible for delivering the National Continuous Checking Capability (NCCC). When fully implemented, the NCCC will provide continuous, near real-time monitoring of changes to the criminal history information of Working with Children Check and National Disability Insurance Scheme Check holders, strengthening safeguards for children and vulnerable people.
In December 2025 the ACIC successfully delivered the NCCC pilot, using Commonwealth and ACT Policing data. The ACIC is now working with state and territory screening units to onboard them to the NCCC by the end of 2026.
Find out more information about the NPCS, including how to get a check for yourself or an employee.
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