Where you have been convicted of a criminal offence, either found guilty by a judge after trial, or entered a guilty plea to criminal charges, you will need to apply for a criminal pardon to remove your records from the police database.
Removing Criminal Records & Fingerprints
The police keep fingerprints & photos even if you have been found not guilty.
Criminal Pardon Service
In March 2012 the federal government of Canada passed a crime bill, Bill C-10, which altered the Canadian pardon program.
Part of this legislation changed the term “pardon” to “record suspension.” While many people are now searching for information on “record suspensions” instead of “pardons” it is important to understand that a pardon and a record suspension have the exact same effect.
The new law included some procedural changes and some pardon eligibility requirements. But as long as you are still able to apply for a record suspension, the result will be the same as it would if you applied for a pardon.
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Who Has Your Fingerprints and Photograph?
Once arrested the police take the fingerprints and photograph for their own agency and then they are forward to the RCMP to be placed on the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) computers.
The information on CPIC is then made available to police agencies world wide including:
- all Police Services
- Royal Canadian Mounted Police RCMP
- United States customs
- Canadian customs
- United Kingdom (UK) customs
- Interpol
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
Your fingerprint records and photos are held not only in the local police database, but with all other police agencies.
★★★★★ Nick did a fantastic job! Took a very complex case and ensured speedy resolution, walked me through the entire process and past several legal hurdles. After we won the case Nick had the criminal record removed and fingerprints destroyed. D. Wallace Toronto. (GoogleReviews)
Impact on Travel and Other Activities
Where the police have your fingerprint records, photos and any criminal record on file, it may be more difficult for you to travel or immigrate.
These records may also impact how the police treat you.
Only people who have been involved with the police have fingerprint records. Border guards, police officers, and others may behave differently if they have fingerprint records for you.
Border guards may take longer to let you through borders and are fully within their rights to search your vehicle.
Where you may be stopped for minor traffic violations, the Police may spend more time with you, investigate more and may consider you a criminal and treating you accordingly.
Criminal Record Removals – Vulnerable Sectors
The police may be more likely to include a withdrawn charge that didn’t lead to a conviction in a vulnerable sector check if they have your fingerprints and photos on file.
The police are less likely to include withdrawn charges if you’ve had your fingerprints and photos destroyed.
The impact of a criminal record or charges in a Vulnerable Sector Check can result in applications being delayed or denied.
Long-term Impacts of Criminal Records
Even after your fingerprints and photos have been destroyed, there will be ways that law enforcement staff can discover that you were once fingerprinted.
When you’re charged and fingerprinted, you’re assigned a Fingerprint Section (FPS) number.
This number can stored in the RCMP database for years.
Agencies like US customs will know that you were charged in the past if they see an FPS number when they search your records, leading to increased scrutiny, possible delays and even denial of entry into the country.
Getting a Criminal Pardon
As criminal lawyers we know the criminal justice system inside and out.
By calling one of our experienced criminal lawyers, we will inform you if you are eligible for a pardon and how long it will take to receive receive one.
We will guide you through the process step by step to help maximize your chances of receiving a criminal pardon.
Applying for a criminal pardon on your own can be a dizzying process with endless paperwork, and there is little to no feedback from the parole board of Canada to guide you. We provide a highly personalized criminal pardon service.
While being in the criminal courts every day, we know who to contact, and where to get your application going quickly and effectively. For a slightly higher fee than third party agencies offering this service, you can sleep well at night knowing that an experienced criminal lawyer is filing your pardon application as opposed to an administrative assistant with little to no experience in the criminal courts.
Getting Your Record Destroyed
As a criminal defence lawyer I have years of experience removing criminal records, and have helped hundreds of people remove their information from police databases.
We can apply to the various police services and RCMP to have your criminal record and fingerprints keeping your record clear for employment, travel purposes and peace of mind.
Call today at 416-731-7113 to discuss clearing your criminal record.
