Government Launches Nationwide Car Clamping Operation for Unpaid Court Fines

The Government’s initiative to clamp or seize cars from people not paying court fines is shifting into overdrive with a nationwide operation taking place tomorrow, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says.

Tomorrow every bailiff in the country will spend the day scanning number plates of parked cars to identify who has overdue court fines and reparations. If people cannot make arrangements, their car may be clamped or towed away to be sold.

Our government is committed to fixing the basics in law and order, and ensuring fines and reparations are paid and taken seriously is a prime example.

We began trialling this technology in July last year, and it has demonstrated its success. As of August 14, this has returned a total of $4,241,867 in fines and reparations.

The message to those who owe money is simple - pay your court fines, or you may be walking home.

In July last year bailiffs began trialling handheld devices to scan number plates of parked cars and those stopping at some breath testing stations.

So far, bailiffs have scanned 268,829 number plates and identified 7,148 people with overdue court fines or reparations. Of those, 1,320 people paid on the spot, with a further 561 establishing a payment arrangement. 404 people had their vehicle seized, and 683 had their vehicle clamped.

184 of the vehicles have already been sold at auction, with another 32 soon to go under the hammer. The rest were either issued a warning, or no action was taken due to their situation.