Conviction on police clearance certificate

[JaniceW]

If one has a conviction for a speeding fine recorded on a police clearance certificate, will this be a problem? It seems here in SA these things are recorded no matter how minor and from way back. Starting to panic as OH still waiting for his certificate.

[sophiedb]

Hubby's Aussie police check showed convictions for minor assault and property damage in 2003 - beyond the usual 5 year old mark, but more than a speeding fine

Our case office asked for more info about the incident (bloke nearly ran him off the road while he was motorcycling, hubby punched him and kicked the car *cough*) and evidence that the fine had been paid (no custodial or suspended sentence). We did this and never heard anything further, so presume that it's all good!

If he's ok, I'm sure anyone with a mere speeding fine will be too.

Come to think about it, the UK let him in only a few months after that conviction too. Ho hum.

[JaniceW]

quite funny.
Am stressing because when I followed up this morning on why it's taken so long, I was told it's because he's got a conviction (what???) and so it takes a bit longer, but is in the final stages. OH can only think of a possible speeding fine, although he did appear in juvenile court when he was 13 for burning down a prefab building at his school after playing with matches
Just have to wait and see what it is. To add insult to injury, my certificate was collected from police clearance by a courier company on 12/08, but I didn't send a courier company to collect it so am trying to follow up where it has gone The joys!!

[ourquest]

quite funny.
Am stressing because when I followed up this morning on why it's taken so long, I was told it's because he's got a conviction (what???) and so it takes a bit longer, but is in the final stages. OH can only think of a possible speeding fine, although he did appear in juvenile court when he was 13 for burning down a prefab building at his school after playing with matches
Just have to wait and see what it is. To add insult to injury, my certificate was collected from police clearance by a courier company on 12/08, but I didn't send a courier company to collect it so am trying to follow up where it has gone The joys!!

Best wishes for you for a good outcome. Speeding fines as a rule do not appear on your police clearance as they are civil offences rather than criminal offences. Also, in SA, because traffic cops and police are different organisations there has been historically little communication between them.

I also worried beforehand. I had made regular road trips from Durban to Johannesburg and Cape Town and in the process received a few speed camera violations, as well as a couple of times being pulled over in person. Some of these fines ended up unpaid, and I followed up about 5 years later to find out that some were still on record and all I had to do was send a cheque, and others had been withdrawn even though they had technically issued a warrant of arrest at some point.

I was once arrested at work back in the early 90's (I was based in a little town in the Northern Cape) for two unpaid tickets. I rode in the front of the bakkie with the cops to the local police station who were very friendly and again all I had to do was pay the speeding fine plus the contempt of court fine. The bottom line is that with all these transgressions over a long time period I was issued with a clean police clearance certificate.

You would basically have to be convicted in court on a criminal matter to have problems with your police clearance certificate.

[dianeos]

quite funny.
Am stressing because when I followed up this morning on why it's taken so long, I was told it's because he's got a conviction (what???) and so it takes a bit longer, but is in the final stages. OH can only think of a possible speeding fine, although he did appear in juvenile court when he was 13 for burning down a prefab building at his school after playing with matches
Just have to wait and see what it is. To add insult to injury, my certificate was collected from police clearance by a courier company on 12/08, but I didn't send a courier company to collect it so am trying to follow up where it has gone The joys!!

I had problems too Jan my clearance was issued in the wrong name so they had to re-issue it in the correct name which they did free of charge....it just took forever and I had it sent to a friend in JHB and she couriered it to me in UK. The first time I phoned to complain I had no luck with the person on the phone so I waited 5 minutes, phoned again and got a very helpful person who sorted it out.

[JaniceW]

OK - some relief. Mine was traced and received it today - all clear of course. Have found out that the conviction on OH certificate (not received yet) is from 1986 when he was 13 and convicted in juvenile court for damage to school property. He received a suspended sentence. Is this going to be a problem? 24 year ago as a kid? Surely not?

[JandM]

The normal procedure, if you are told to ask for a character waiver, is for the person to write in, explaining the circumstances of the conviction and how they of course now see how wrong it was and that they are very sorry to have done it. They then say what a different person they have become since then, and preferably supply a good character reference from some very respectable member of society who knows them well.