# anyone any experience of Developed Vetting?



## Pingu (Aug 7, 2008)

have had an EPV many years ago and was ok (despite some minor animal rights stuff) but I have been put forward for a role that requires Developed Vetting.

given the change in the laws regarding animal rights organisations am I screwed? The activity I was involved with was minor (bit of sabbing) and was a long time ago


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## blues (Aug 7, 2008)

So long as you're not being vetted for a job at an animal lab it should be fine.


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## mauvais (Aug 7, 2008)

I haven't done it myself but I believe it's a lot of fairly intimate questions to find out what people can blackmail you with etc. For SC, below DV, they ask you if you've been involved with sabotage etc.


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## Get Involved (Aug 8, 2008)

the thing about developed vetting is when they fail you, they won't tell you why. so it's difficult to know whether your history will affect you - they say every case is looked at individually

i recently went through it for a role - some of the questions they ask are pretty raw, in the developed vetting interview

- how many sexual partners have you had?
- how often do you access pornography?
- detailed drug history
- names and addresses of girlfriend, girlfriend's parents, brother etc etc
- whether you've got friends abroad (if you have, and they are not comfortable with it, they may ask you to sever ties!)

in the end, i failed the vetting. was never told why, but i think i was a bit too honest with the drug history! by the way, in case it matters, if you're expecting a drug test, it'll be a hair test..


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Aug 8, 2008)

DV is supposed to be quite intense.  They go back as far as they can with your history.  It takes something like on average 7 months to DV someone apparently (or is it 9 months?)


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## Pingu (Aug 8, 2008)

Minnie_the_Minx said:


> DV is supposed to be quite intense. They go back as far as they can with your history. It takes something like on average 7 months to DV someone apparently (or is it 9 months?)


 

have been told it can take up to 6.

have done something very similar in the past when it was called Extended Positive Vetting (they interviewed close family and friends as well) but that was before AR orgs were classified as terrorist organisations.

The AR stuff was a v long tme ago and it really was quite minor, no digging up of grannies etc occured.


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Aug 8, 2008)

Pingu said:


> have been told it can take up to 6.
> 
> have done something very similar in the past when it was called Extended Positive Vetting (they interviewed close family and friends as well) but that was before AR orgs were classified as terrorist organisations.
> 
> The AR stuff was a v long tme ago and it really was quite minor, no digging up of grannies etc occured.


 

well I did say an average of 7, so I wasn't far out


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## Pingu (Aug 8, 2008)

Minnie_the_Minx said:


> well I did say an average of 7, so I wasn't far out


 

it probably depends on what you are going for and who its with too.

the role pays crap but is interesting.


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Aug 8, 2008)

Pingu said:


> it probably depends on what you are going for and who its with too.
> 
> the role pays crap but is interesting.


 

MOD, GCHQ, MI5/SIS?


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## Pingu (Aug 8, 2008)

Minnie_the_Minx said:


> MOD, GCHQ, MI5/SIS?


 


I am unaware of any such organisations and even if I was aware i would not be at liberty to discuss them.


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## zoltan (Aug 8, 2008)

If it is one of the above, then coming clean on stuff thats on the record is the only way

PV is easy to pass, just give them a taste of a normal life - the odd drug experiment when a student etc and dont mention anything recently at all.

there will be no drug test for the above organisations usually


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## chainsaw cat (Aug 10, 2008)

I've been vetted (EPV - _enhanced_ pv) and beyond many times over the last 20 years, the last time in 03 - to the highest level possible.

I got curious and asked the bod at the last one (where I really didn't care if I 'passed' or not) what it was all about.

What they're after, he said, is people who will put the interests of the organisation and ultimately the state ahead of any personal convictions that seem to go against those interests. I paraphrase, this guy was ex MOD copper and a little incoherent.

So what you've done, of indeed do (I was epv'd whilst still chairing an environmental pressure group locally) only counts if that hurdle can't be jumped. I argued that the Government service was all about advancing Britains interests, and that fighting for the environment is just as important as fighting foreign enemies.

The problem with drugs, porn dodgy mates is that you can be compromised, not that you will necessarily  become a willing saboteur or enemy within.

What they know about (the vetters) can't be used to blackmail you.

The issue of PR (Top Spy Cleared to Work Despite Drugs and Porn Shock!) was considered, at least for my job, very low down the list.

I believe they do all sorts of fancy dan psychological profiling now too, but most of that stuff is laughable crap anyway.


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## Get Involved (Aug 11, 2008)

zoltan69 said:


> there will be no drug test for the above organisations usually



i had drug tests for both mi5 and gchq


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## Pingu (Aug 11, 2008)

yeah will be a drugs test - am OK on that one though

from asking round the process is similar to the EPV that I went through with some added pyschologial stuff. I mentioned the AR thing to someone in the know and have been told not to worry about it unless it involved"criminal activities". Guess thats my plans to set off a mini nuke under HLS scuppered then


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## sovereignb (Mar 31, 2016)

Im blasting this thread from oblivion! Anyone have any experiences of what info they ask or if they have a profile on you already?

I have two main questions:

Does theyr have a list of all the  websites you've visited (maybe sounds like a stupid question but honestly not sure)?

If you have been a regular user of drugs in the past, do you automatically fail the process?

Maybe it depends on the exact job your going for


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## Pingu (Apr 8, 2016)

it was a while back now but my experience is:

"if they are asking you a question- they already know the answer". be honest but not too forthcoming with details. drug use - depends where i went they were not that arsed but some places are.

i dont have a big drugs history - bit of weed when younger but that's about it but if your use is regular and recent be prepared to stop using.

internet activity.. depends. its certainly possible to get your web browsing history if they really want to but again it depends on the role you are going for. if there is anything that could be potentially used to blackmail you with then come clean - the odds are they know anyhow in the main they are looking for honesty and integrity.

for example (and this one sticks in my mind really well) they asked what i had been up to on a certain date, i couldn't remember so just said "probably out with my friends" - they proceeded to tell me who i had been with and where we had gone. The role i was going for though involved handing some really sensitive stuff so unless its at that sort of level i doubt it wil be that intense. They wil ask about close friends and family and may want to interview them too.

top tips:

show you have a stable lifestyle - despite the films most people involved in intelligence work are married, with kids. Normal, unremarkable types. the sort you wouldn't glance twice at.
dont be eccentric - dress normally for your interview (no kermit the frog socks)
dont be too boring though - just be normal
show you fit in - so emphasise membership of places where there are groups of people who generally get on.


basically be honest and dont be a flake - they tend to like people who are predictable and fit into one of their categories.

it can be very interesting work


eta also try to work out where you stand on some of today's main events. they may ask your opinion on them.

if you are familiar with the A D&D alignment system be LN and as Chainsaw cat said defend your position with a view as to protecting teh state


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## Pingu (Apr 8, 2016)

the above btw is simply my experience of it. yours may be different so dont go blaming me if you find yourself on some remote scottish hillside in a stress position for 68 hours with a bag on your head.


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## sovereignb (Apr 9, 2016)

Pingu said:


> it was a while back now but my experience is:
> 
> "if they are asking you a question- they already know the answer". be honest but not too forthcoming with details. drug use - depends where i went they were not that arsed but some places are.
> 
> ...




Much appreciated for all this, very helpful.

Someone else above mentioned about internet web history e.g porn being used to compromise someone - i struggle to understand why? Any view?


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## Pingu (Apr 9, 2016)

sovereignb said:


> Much appreciated for all this, very helpful.
> 
> Someone else above mentioned about internet web history e.g porn being used to compromise someone - i struggle to understand why? Any view?




basically if you are being dpvd you may have access to sensitive information. they dont want anything that could be used to blackmail you to be a factor. so if your thing is paedo mexican dancing midget porn and you would be really embarrassed by your wife finding out that could give someone leverage over you.

 "Tell me what you know about david camerons investments in miss piggys offshore "special deposit" scheme or i wil grass you up to your wife that you knock one out to underage midgets in sombreros doing each other up the arse"

if its normal stuff dont sweat it and just say "yeah i look at net pron every now and then"


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## sovereignb (Apr 10, 2016)

Pingu said:


> basically if you are being dpvd you may have access to sensitive information. they dont want anything that could be used to blackmail you to be a factor.* so if your thing is paedo mexican dancing midget porn* and you would be really embarrassed by your wife finding out that could give someone leverage over you.
> 
> "Tell me what you know about david camerons investments in miss piggys offshore "special deposit" scheme or i wil grass you up to your wife that you knock one out to underage midgets in sombreros doing each other up the arse"
> 
> if its normal stuff dont sweat it and just say "yeah i look at net pron every now and then"





Well im not married so, but yeah thanks...im a bit more prepared now


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