Hotline aims to clamp down on racing crime

A new phone line has been launched to help crack down on crime in the horseracing world.

The Jockey Club, the Racecourse Association (RCA) and Crimestoppers have launched the new free phone hotline to encourage the public and members of the racing industry to report any criminal activity in horseracing.

Trained police officers will deal with the calls, which will be completely anonymous – callers will not be required to leave their details and calls will not be recorded or traced. Rewards for information will be available and they will be paid without comprising a caller’s anonymity, it was announced.

Horseracing is one of the UK’s most popular sports, second only to football as the country’s most televised sport. More than six million people went racing in 2004 and over £8 billion is currently spent on betting on British racing every year.

Commenting on the new phone line, Paul Scotney, the Jockey Club’s Director of Security, said: “Crimestoppers has a proven track record of success and is a recognised brand all over the country. We are appealing for information on all forms of criminal activity which relate to the sport of horse racing, as well as specifically requesting those who may have information involving corruption or malpractice to use, with confidence, the Crimestoppers number.”

The existing Jockey Club number for Raceguard, which was established over ten years ago to encourage those in the industry to report matters of malpractice and potential corruption, has been discontinued to make way for the new Crimestoppers phone line.

Bill South, the Jockey Club’s Head of Intelligence, explained: “Over the years Raceguard was the source of a lot of information and intelligence, but Crimestoppers has a much better chance of reaching the people who may be in a position to provide us with useful information. Furthermore, calls are answered by trained professionals who can disseminate the information, whereas Raceguard was just an answer phone. All information given to Crimestoppers relating to racing will be forwarded to the Jockey Club’s Security Department.”

The Crimestoppers number is: 0800 555 111.

(KMcA/GB)