Joint media release with Office of the Racing Integrity Commissioner and Australian Federal Police.
Integrity Partnership Strengthened by MOU
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the Victorian Racing Integrity Commissioner (the Commissioner) are pleased to announce the signing of the Cooperation and Information Exchange Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in Sydney today.
AFP Deputy Commissioner Graham Ashton and Racing Integrity Commissioner Sal Perna signed the Cooperation and Information Exchange MoU at the Australian Institute of Police Management (AIPM) in Manly earlier today.
AFP Deputy Commissioner Graham Ashton said the MOU formalises the cooperation between the AFP and the RIC and solidifies the strong ties between the two agencies.
“The partnership will further the cooperation between the Commissioner and the AFP to support law enforcement activities and AFP investigations in regards to organised crime,” Deputy Commissioner Ashton said.
The partnership underlines efforts to ensure the integrity of Victoria’s $2.8 billion racing industry, which employs approximately 60,000 people.
“This agreement will be major benefit to both the AFP and the racing industry and will assist in the facilitation of sharing information between the two bodies,” Mr Perna said.
“The MOU not only helps both agencies gather and share relevant information, but leads to increasing the public confidence in racing.”
This MOU follows a recommendation made in the Commissioner’s 2012 Own Motion Inquiry into Race Fixing to identify the barriers to information sharing between police and racing bodies.
The agreement will strengthen the cooperation between the participants, particularly with respect to information exchange, to assist law enforcement to achieve its objectives and reduce the threat posed by criminal infiltration of Australian borders.
Media enquiries:
AFP National Media (02) 6131 6333
Office of the Racing Integrity Commissioner (03) 8684 7776
30 April 2015