New legislation in the Australian state of Victoria will introduce ‘ticket cops’ to clamp down on touts.
The group will be given the jurisdiction to go after controversial secondary platforms and resale marketplaces such as Viagogo and Gumtree.
The Victorian government’s most recent budget has made an allowance for the creation and launch of an authorised ticketing officer task force or ‘ticket cops’ to patrol major events, including music and sporting occasions.
The Labour government announced its intention to police scalpers via new legislation drawn up in November 2017.
A previous law for the policing of scalping was only in reference to sporting events, and now the Major Sporting Events Act 2009 has been renamed Major Events Acts 2009, and now covers the music industry.
The new laws provide police and security guards with looser search powers and the ability to ‘seize and retain’ tickets if punters are kicked out of shows or turned away at the gate. Outside the venues, police and security are also allowed a wider space in which they can fine scalpers.
Image: Free-Photos
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