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Barry Hearn introduced Lord Stevens as the head of his new integrity unit to cover snooker and darts, and warned that lifetime bans would be introduced for any player having any involvement in betting.

Suspended former world champion John Higgins will play a role in World Snooker's new measures to ensure the integrity of the sport.

Higgins, who is serving a six-month ban for breaching betting rules, will be asked to help educate other players on the pitfalls that led to his punishment.

The plan was announced as World Snooker chairman Hearn launched the sport's new integrity unit, as he promised lifetime bans against any players found to have breached a blanket ban on betting on snooker or darts.

Hearn has enrolled the help of former Metropolitan Police commissioner Lord Stevens, now chairman of Quest, which has led inquiries into alleged corruption in football and Formula 1.

"Setting up the integrity unit is a process we started several months ago – before the John Higgins case came about – by bringing David Douglas on to the board," said Hearn.

"Snooker is a sport associated with honesty and sportsmanship – we've all seen countless occasions where players have owned up to fouls not spotted by the referee.

"Unfortunately, in recent months, we've had some high-profile cases which have tarnished the image of the game, and it's vital for the future of snooker that we stamp out corruption and make sure we are clean, and perceived as clean by the viewing public.

"We have made massive strides forward commercially this year with new and successful events with exciting formats. But that progress must not be hindered by any form of corruption.

"We must stop the problems at the root and provide a massive deterrent. Therefore it is our intention to give life bans to players found in breach of the most serious rules."

Lord Stevens added to Sky Sports News that Hearn's hard-hitting new stance should be implemented in other sports to ensure they keep their integrity.

"We shouldn't have to rely on the News of the World to expose some of the things they've done in the last two months," said Stevens. "We should have systems within sport independently assessed, independently investigated to ensure this type of activity is exposed.

"There's so much money involved in sport in the present time that this money has led people into temptation. What you've seen here with snooker and darts is best practice – we must ensure that everything possible is done. And that's all about independent investigation and assessment of allegations.

"These things aren't impossible to do – you can do them providing you've got the right structure and you need a global approach to these problems.

"Make no mistake about it, snooker and darts in the form of Barry Hearn have said it will just not be tolerated.

"If anything is proven, then there's going to be a lifetime ban and nothing could be clearer than that and I think other sports should bring that to fruition as well. You cannot have sports integrity attacked like it has been attacked in the last year or two – it's just not good enough."