WATERLOO REGION - Waterloo Regional Police will join other police services across the province and stop the sharing of nonconviction records when it comes to police checks.

Interim police Chief Steve Beckett said the local service fully supports the new voluntary guidelines being suggested by the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police.

Beckett, who sits on a provincial committee that put forward the recommendations, said the service hopes to have the guidelines in place by the fall.

"We are doing it and support it wholeheartedly," he said.

Other guidelines being recommended include stopping the release of unproven allegations, withdrawn charges and 911 mental health calls.

But in exceptional circumstances, some information would be released when citizens request police checks. An example would be if someone had a charge related to vulnerable populations and was requesting a check to work with children or seniors, Beckett said.

The changes come amid criticism that Canadians who have never been convicted of a crime were denied employment or rejected for a volunteer position when information showed up on a police background check.

Some people have been stopped at the United States border because of arrests and charges that were never proven.

Beckett said people should not be stigmatized for mental health problems, and nor should those without convictions be prevented from travelling across the border.