Racing chiefs want access to police files

Tuesday 14 May 2013, 3:59pm

Victorian racing authorities have renewed their call for governments to legislate to allow police to share information that would help them stamp down on criminal activity in the industry.

Responding to comments from Victoria Police deputy commissioner Graham Ashton that police possessed information that would lead to bans a number of jockeys and owners, Racing Victoria chief executive Bernard Saundry said racing authorities are ready to act.

"It is an absolute priority for us," Saundry said.

"But we don't have the information the police have and we aren't allowed to have it."

Legislative changes to the federal Telecommunications Act are required before police can pass on information they acquire through phone taps and other means of surveillance to bodies such as Racing Victoria.

Speaking ahead of a Victoria Police forum on corruption in sport, Ashton said police had material obtained from electronic surveillance they would like to share.

"A sporting body, such as racing, would be happily banning people from the racetrack, or banning them from owning a horse, or banning them from being involved in the industry, if they knew they were engaged in the sort of conduct that we know they are engaged in," he said.

Racing Victoria's head of integrity services Dayle Brown expressed similar annoyance at the seeming reluctance of the Australian Crime Commission to pass on information it claims to possess on peptide use in racing.

"I have asked for the information in the ACC report (on peptides) but it hasn't been provided," Brown said.

Brown defended Victorian racing against claims of widespread corruption declaring any pockets of corrupt or irregular activity would be uncovered if the power to do so was provided to the industry.

– AAP

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