Can I get someone else's criminal convictions history without their knowledge?

In short, no.

If you want to find out about someone’s criminal record, one way is to use the Check Please service, which automates the process and can give you the result in as little as 3 working days.

However while Check Please automates the process (and allows for requests to be processed much faster than the manual process provided by the Ministry of Justice), it still relies on the Individual's consent.

As such, apart from some fringe situations under the Official Information Act (OIA), you cannot obtain someone else's criminal convictions history (criminal record) without their knowledge and consent.

Another exception is a new scheme that has been introduced by the Police specifically for people to find out if their partner or a family member's partner has a history of violence. The aim is to enable a partner of a previously violent individual to make informed choices about whether and how they continue the relationship.

Further information about the scheme, including details of how to make a request, can be found on the Police’s website.

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