Integrity Officers and RaceWISE: The Whistleblowing System Protecting Racing’s Standards

The BHA’s Integrity Services Department operates both proactive monitoring and reactive investigation systems. Equine Welfare Integrity Officers (EWIOs) are responsible for horses in racecourse secure stabling, ensuring only accredited individuals access horses and are overseeing welfare during their time in stables.

RaceWISE, run in partnership with Crimestoppers, provides an anonymous whistleblowing hotline for anyone in racing to report rule breaches or welfare concerns. The system protects whistleblowers while allowing the BHA to investigate allegations that might otherwise go unreported due to fear of retaliation.

The Integrity Department’s functions include identifying and deterring malpractice, conducting investigations into rule breaches, and gathering intelligence on potential wrongdoing. This encompasses doping violations, race-fixing allegations, improper treatment of horses, and financial irregularities.

British racing’s integrity model relies on multiple overlapping systems: veterinary checks, stewards’ observations, integrity officers, anonymous reporting, and post-race testing. No single system catches everything, but the layered approach creates multiple opportunities to detect violations.