Government targets overdue court fines

In July this year Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith (Minister) announced that the Government was trialling new number plate scanning technology to identify if owners of cars parked on the road had unpaid court fines or reparations. The scanners were to be used by bailiffs nationwide, and by police at some breath-testing checkpoints. Where a match was found the owner could pay on the spot or the vehicle may be clamped or towed away.
In October the Minister gave an update on the trial, revealing that between 9 July and 6 October bailiffs had scanned 67,536 number plates, resulting in 982 people with overdue fines or reparations being identified. Of these 278 paid on the spot, 127 entered into a repayment arrangement, 115 had their car seized and 45 had their car clamped. The remainder were either issued with a warning, or no action was taken due to their circumstances.
The amount recovered was $225,399; which included the sale of 16 cars at auction. Due to the trial’s success the operation is being expanded, with the initial 10 scanners being increased to at least 39, as part of a permanent nationwide rollout.
The Minister stated, “victims are our priority” and “Those who have suffered emotional harm or have had their property lost or damaged by an offender’s actions should not be left out of pocket.”