Govt mulling expanding sexual conviction record check to cover self-employed and volunteers

The government plans to expand the scope of application of the Sexual Conviction Record Check (SCRC) Scheme in three phases to cover the self-employed, volunteers, and all existing employees.

Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung said on Tuesday that authorities are considering extending the scope of the scheme starting in the fourth quarter of this year to include private tutors, music teachers, sports coaches, etc.

He added that the volunteers, including the university orientation camp organizers, would be covered by the end of next year.

When the first two phases are operating smoothly, the scheme will be extended to the existing employees and other self-employed individuals.

Authorities will establish an online application platform starting in the fourth quarter this year, where the public can submit application forms and pay fees. It also plans to add a 24-hour fingerprint collection service at six designated police stations.

The validity period of the verification application will also be increased from the current 18 months to 36 months, and the system is expected to handle at least 210,000 new applications each year.  

Tang said the Security Bureau will review the offenses on the list often, and it is currently reviewing the Law Reform Commission's recommendations on sexual offenses and will update the list of offenses as necessary.

He also pointed out that, to strengthen the promotion of relevant measures, sexual offense investigations will be promoted through TV advertisements and online platforms, especially parent groups and discussion platforms.

Tang also added that there would be sufficient security measures at the fingerprint collection kiosks to ensure no foul play.

The SCRC scheme enables employers of organizations or enterprises that engage persons in undertaking child-related or mentally incapacitated person-related work to request eligible employees to apply for sexual conviction record check in order to ascertain whether they have any conviction records.