I understood that the form is not systematically returned. Not all the police agencies return it to you. Certain provinces don't do it, even if charges are laid. Sometimes people aren't even required to go to the police station to provide their fingerprints. In fact, they are required to do so by law, but they don't systematically do it. After they have been charged, if they receive no sentence except perhaps for a fine, they don't necessarily go and have their fingerprints taken. Consequently, these people never enter your system.
When the C-216 form isn't returned to you after a few months—I was told it was after approximately 18 months—it appears the file disappears from your system as though it had never existed. Is that true?