Harness racing authorities have vowed to look deeper than ever to root out corruption in their code.
The sport was rocked last year by a race-fixing scandal that engulfed one its biggest names, decorated trainer-driver Shayne Cramp.
But Harness Racing Victoria said it would not let up in attempts to eliminate rogue operators.
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Experienced former Victoria Police detective Brent Fisher is now heading up HRV’s investigations section.
The organisation has bought technology capable of extracting call logs and message records from phones taken from suspects after a request from officials, removing reliance on telecommunications providers.
HRV will appoint a new analyst and investigator next year, and general manager of integrity Andy Rogers said its capacity to detect banned substances was greater than ever.
Mr Rogers said the majority of people involved in harness-racing were good people who deserved a level playing field.
He said the Cramp case, in which Shayne and his father Greg were rubbed out for 12 years on race-fixing charges, showed the sport was willing to uncover and scrutinise corruption within its own ranks.
“The Cramp situation is a good example of what can be achieved through sporting authorities working closely together with Victoria Police,” Mr Rogers said.
“The message is we have never been better placed to detect people doing the wrong thing,” he said. “It’s critically important. Anyone who does not share this objective is not welcome. If people don’t have confidence in the product, they won’t bet on it.”
Mr Rogers expected HRV investigators would be working closer than ever with Victoria Police, via its sports integrity intelligence unit.
Mr Fisher spent many years as a detective in the Victoria Police crime squads where he was regarded as a tenacious investigator.
(Article printed in Sunday Herald Sun, December 6, 2015)
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