Vulnerable Sector Searches

A Vulnerable Sector Check is completed when required by the requesting agency because you will be responsible for the well-being of children, the elderly, people with disabilities or other vulnerable populations.

It is the police service that determines or verifies that the position you are applying for meets the requirements for a vulnerable sector check.

A Vulnerable Sector Check is required when you will be in a position of trust or authority over vulnerable persons including children, the elderly and people with disabilities. A Vulnerable Sector Check involves a search of the automated criminal records (pardoned sex offender) retrieval system maintained by the RCMP to identify the existence of sex offences for which a record suspension or pardon exists. A Vulnerable Sector Check also includes a search of local police records to determine if any patterns of behaviour exist that may result in harm to a vulnerable person.

The vulnerable sector search is a search for people who have received a record suspension/pardon for a sex related offence. Therefore, the VS requirement is intended for individuals who are specifically in a position of trust or authority of a person’s care (youth/child, elderly, temporary and/or permanently disabled, patients in care) and responsible for the well-being of a child or vulnerable person. Interaction with the vulnerable persons must be in a largely unsupervised capacity and the contact must be sustained and regular. To meet the requirements for a vulnerable sector check, the nature of the position – not the person – must cause the person to have authority over, or trust of, children or vulnerable persons. 

The police are required to ensure the position meets these narrow criterias . While the individual policies of employers may dictate that a Police Vulnerable Sector Check (PVSC) is required for certain positions, this does not obligate the police to provide this level of screening if these criteria cannot be satisfied.

If your information results in a possible match to a vulnerable sector record search:

• You will receive an attend letter for follow-up
• You must book an appointment with the Calgary Police Service for fingerprinting
• Fingerprints are submitted to the National Repository and checked against the pardoned sex offence database.

For questions, please contact the Police Information Check CPS-picunit@calgarypolice.ca

In July 2010, the RCMP implemented changes to the police information check process to detect individuals who changed their legal name after receiving a pardon for a sexual offence.

Visit the RCMP’s vulnerable sector check section for more information.

For questions, please contact the Police Information Check CPS-picunit@calgarypolice.ca

Changes to the vulnerable sector search mean that all individuals are more likely to be flagged to provide further information. This does not suggest that the applicant is the subject of a pardon for a sexual offence, but only that the results are 'inconclusive' based on the name, date of birth and gender search against the pardoned sex offender database.

Current process:

• Searches include surname, given name, date of birth and gender of the applicant
• A match on date of birth and gender alone triggers a need for fingerprinting
• Fingerprints are submitted to the Canadian Criminal Real Time Identification Service (CCRTIS) for verification.

Book an appointment to have your fingerprints taken at the Calgary Police Service Westwinds Campus (5111 47 Street N.E.)

Note: Appointments are taken on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays (excluding statutory holidays). Walk-ins are not accepted.

What to bring

• One piece of photo identification such as:
  • Driver’s licence
  • Alberta identification card
  • Passport
  • Permanent Resident card
  • Firearms licence
  • Nexus card
  • Secure Certificate of Indian Status card (federally issued)
  • Aviation document booklet
  • Certified Refugee Protection Claimant Document

• Non-photo identification such as:
  • Provincial health care card
  • Birth certificate
  • Marriage certificate
  • Immigration papers
  • Citizenship card (issued within the last five years)
  • Citizenship certificate
• For volunteers, a volunteer letter from the agency/organization, on official letterhead, indicating your name and specific duties related to the vulnerable sector.
• For those seeking a vulnerable sector check for employment or unpaid practicum, payment of $25.

The Police Information Check of the Calgary Police Service will receive the results of the vulnerable sector record search directly from the Canadian Criminal Real Time Identification Service (CCRTIS).

• If the result is negative, a Police Information Check Results Certificate letter will be sent directly to you.
• If the result is positive and a search confirms a relevant pardoned sex offender record, it will be disclosed on a Police Information Check Results Certificate letter issued by Calgary Police Service on official letterhead directly to the agency after your consent has been obtained.

You are responsible for returning your certificate letter issued from either CCRTIS or Calgary Police Service to the agency/organization requesting the vulnerable sector verification record search.

Vulnerable Sector Information Sheet and FAQ