Justice Minister, Paul Goldsmith, has today announced the Government is trialling new technology to clamp and seize cars of people evading paying court fines.
“If you haven’t paid your court fines, you may soon find yourself walking home or needing a lift,” said Minister Goldsmith.
“Bailiffs are now trialling handheld devices which scan the number plates of parked cars, and determine whether the owners have overdue court fines or reparations.
“If they do, the car may be clamped or towed away. It’s that simple.”
The technology is first being trialled on streets nationwide, and will be present at some Police breath testing stations this weekend, the Minister confirmed.
“We promised to find new effective ways to force people to pay their court fines. That’s exactly what we’re delivering. We know wheel clamping is already a successful enforcement tool and we want to build on that,” he said.
“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.
“Victims are our priority, and their needs underpin all our work to restore law and order, which we know is working.
“There’s been a long-standing slackness when it comes to bringing in fines and I’ve given very strong instructions to the Ministry of Justice to find ways to collect them.”
