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.

What I meant was when you fill in a DBS application the DBS unit considered if any of your offences or misdemeanours showing up on the computer system under your name are relevant to the job role your application refers to.

Sadly, they didn't say they run checks to check the application from the employer is appropriate to that job role in the first place! They probably should be doing this because it is an invasion into privacy.

I agree with AJW83. When I was speaking to the DBS unit manager she also told me that employer's do too many DBS/CRB checks because they panic a lot (this is my second check, along with the rest of the work force in 14 mths) and that employer's do not understand the system and panic and think everything will be covered if they do another check.

She said they are trying to educate employer's more but feel they are failing.

Eg following this new DBS my employer has told me I HAVE TO JOIN THE UPDATE SERVICE. However the DBS unit manager has said it is not mandatory to join the update system, so what is going on?