about a year ago, for many different reasons, I walked out of Boots with slimming pills and a department store with a makeup tester and was stopped in the streets seconds later by the managers of both stores. Together they called the police and I received 2 Community Resolution Orders (CROs) which is really bad news for me as I need an Enhanced DBS certificate for my job.

I now have to fill out a renewal DBS. I have contacted my local DBS Unit Manager as I am worried it may be disclosed as 'additional information disclosed at the discretion of the chief police constable'. However I have been reassured that this type of offence is not relevant to my role as Support Worker/Carer and will fail the relevancy test and will also fail the proportionality test, (which I think may be the same as the 'ought to' test), and therefore nothing will appear on my DBS certificate. The Manager said the DBS system is not meant to be punitive in nature and that even with serious offences the Unit can work with the individual to put a 'positive spin' on an offence to make employment less difficult.

I thought you might want to know of this, and to encourage others to contact their local police forces and DBS units for assistance.