Security Watchdog looks to the future of background checks

Celebrating our 25th anniversary here at Security Watchdog means both reflecting on past achievements and also planning ahead for the next 25 years. 

Our work has a true impact. We have stopped fraudsters, terrorists, criminals and others who harbour ill intent to cause harm to people and businesses. Our robust and reliable employment checks have not only allowed businesses to make informed hiring decisions that ultimately protect their assets; they have offered a true customer experience. 

Customer experience, not process

Our approach to candidate screening has been honed over some 25 years. Putting our customers at the heart of our product development continues to be our unshakeable focus. That’s something we continue to do every week as we capture feedback on what our customers want.

More often than not, candidates are looking for a quick and easy process. They want a form that is simple to use, with a personal journey based on their background. 

We don’t ask 101 different questions that aren’t relevant to the candidate in question. We use our decades of experience to create bespoke question sets. We inform candidates on how long it will take to complete the form. We provide them with a named contact who will talk them through exactly what will happen and to what timeframe. 

Whether we’re supporting the onboarding of the CEO of an international household brand or a group of 2,000 graduates for a professional services company, we know the language to use and questions to ask. 

Smarter screening solutions

Our ever increasing automation and integration with supplier portals means our team of  experienced, customer centric screening officers can focus on personalising the experience of each and every one of our candidates.

Technology may support our screening processes but always as a complement, never a replacement, to human expertise. Our team have, and will always be, the spirit of Security Watchdog. 

We look forward to undertaking the next stage of our journey with you.

Susie Thomson
Managing Director

Building on Security Watchdog’s first 25 years

1998: The Security Watchdog was founded by Susie Thomson, alongside her father and brother. 

1999: Our very first BS7858 contract was awarded by Securiplan plc 

2002: The Security Watchdog was appointed as an Umbrella Body for Hosted DBS  

2005: Verification On Line Tracker [VOLT] Extranet created, a leading innovation for our screening offering  

2009: e-Bulk+ was launched by Capita, later becoming one of our key products as we merged with CRVS, to become the most comprehensive provider of screening services in the UK 

2010: Next Generation Volt [NGV] Launched  

2012: 

• Acquired by Capita plc, allowing us to scale and develop our teams and services to support our growing portfolio of global brand clients 
• CRVS (Capita Recruitment and Vetting Services) merger  

2013: DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) E-Bulk integration with VOLT 

2014:  

• Rebranded as ‘Security Watchdog’, in-line with a growing and innovative vision for the future 
• Disclosure Scotland integration 
• Immigration Service set up by The Advisory Bureau  

2016: VOLTi3 launched, a forwarding iteration for our market-leading onboarding software 

2022:  

• Security Watchdog supported the NHS ‘Bring Back Staff’ project, which saw us working with the NHS in bringing back staff during the COVID pandemic. We helped over 10,000 nurses and doctors re-join the NHS within the space of a few months, working with over 450 staff across Capita to do our bit in saving countless lives. 
• VOLTi4 launched, our most transformative iteration of vetting software yet 
• UK IT Industry Awards Finalist 2022: Celebrating IT Excellence and Impact  

2023: Celebrating 25 years of operation and the very exciting start of a new chapter as Matrix Security Watchdog, led by our founder Susie Thomson and Matrix CEO Mark Inskip.  From starting in 12ft x 12ft room in 1998, to now operating with 230 employees, an offering of over 100 different checks and a growing 2550 custom screening packages, we are moving forward with pace and an exciting vision for the future. All the while, ensuring that the values that made us who we are, alongside the same determination, passion, and grit that filled that small room in 1998, still sits at our core while we grow and evolve today. Matrix Security Watchdog are driving forward to create the world’s best screening and people solutions. We are dedicated to creating trusted and safe systems that keep people’s experience at heart, making good on our promise to deliver on solutions that are faster, better and smarter.  

VOLTi4 digital screening in brief 

Criminal background checks