Employers face the risk of prosecution under the new Bribery Act if they fail to screen and vet their employees, according to G4S Employment Screening and Vetting, part of security firm G4S Secure Solutions.

The firm says that up to one in four CVs contains significant inaccuracies, lies or discrepancies, and that firms could be accused of failing to undertake sufficient due diligence should they fail to develop procedures to perform appropriate checks on their staff.

Adrian Taylor, managing director, G4S Employment Screening and Vetting, says: “Compliance and risk mitigation in the recruitment process is increasingly important for organisations, and the Bribery Act is just another example of increased people-related regulatory compliance demands on companies.

“The Bribery Act is just part of a pattern of increasing regulation that will transform comprehensive screening and vetting for employees from a ‘nice to have’ to a core HR process. Businesses are becoming very aware of their duty of care to employees and customers and in a globalised marketplace, establishing an individual’s identity, employment status and credentials is absolutely vital.”