QRIC to increase investigators

The Queensland Racing Integrity Commission will hire two more police investigators and increase spending on drug testing.

It coincides with QRIC’s first prosecution under new match fixing laws listed to go ahead in the Brisbane Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.

QRIC Commissioner Ross Barnett released its first annual report this week and pinpointed the first race fixing charges in the harness code under the match fixing laws.

“The arrest of three people in our first year for systemic race fixing in the harness industry demonstrates both the need for the laws and the Commission’s determination to ensure they’re enforced,” Barnett said.

“Furthermore, our partnership with the Queensland Police Service through the Racing Crime Squad resulted in 40 charges being laid against a total of 22 offenders.”

Barnett said the Racing Crime Squad would expand from four to six members and the commission would also increase the use of body cameras.

“QRIC will invest more than $7.75 million over four years to support the Racing Science Centre’s Capital Acquisition Strategic Plan,” he said.

“This will see new advanced technology acquired to enable both an increase in samples collected for testing and enhanced scope of testing.”

Barnett added it was important to remember the vast majority of licensees across the three codes were law-abiding responsible industry participants.

He said 99.6 per cent of the 19,000-plus swabs analysed by the QRIC’s Racing Science Centre returned negative results.