Fines enforcement measures include the issue of arrest warrants and the police have the authority to enforce these at any location, including airports. Since new measures were introduced by the Scottish Court Service (SCS), a string of defaulters have already been stopped at UK airports.
An Ayr man who had failed to pay a fine was arrested at Edinburgh airport as he attempted to board a holiday flight. The man, who cannot be named for data protection reasons, had neglected to pay a fine of just under £1600 issued for nine separate road tax offences and for failing to notify a change in car ownership.
When he did not respond to warning letters, a warrant was issued for his arrest. He was stopped by officers at Edinburgh airport and paid the fine in full on the spot. Only then was he allowed to continue on his trip.
‘Defaulters cannot escape paying their fines. If you are planning to travel by plane or ferry to your Christmas destination and have an outstanding fine, you risk being arrested at the airport or ferry port, detained and your holiday with family or friends ruined,’ said SCS Executive Director of Field Services Eric McQueen. ‘With an unpaid fine, you also face having your car clamped or having your employers contacted to arrest your wages.’
To date, defaulters have been stopped as they tried to board flights in Manchester, Heathrow and Glasgow, and on return journeys at Leeds, Aberdeen and Birmingham airports. Three men were taken into custody to appear in court and one was jailed for 14 days.
Fines collection rates across Scotland continue to remain strong and a SCS quarterly report published today shows an increase for all fine types during the last quarter. Court fines have increased by five percentage points between July and October, while Fiscal penalties have increased by six percentage points.
Since the low key launch of a full online payment facility earlier this year there has already been almost 25,000 web payments, most out with normal working hours. The website details are now being included in direct correspondence with offenders as a way to pay and the facility is expected to prove popular.
The new online facility adds to existing payment provision and anyone who has received a fine, including parking or police tickets, can now visit the secure website and complete payment using a debit or credit card.
Only fines which involve the endorsement of a driving licence cannot be paid electronically including some police traffic tickets and penalties issued by Safety Camera Partnerships for speeding or running a red light. In these instances offenders can post their licence or take it in person to any Scottish court. Since 2008, more than 341,500 enforcement orders (more than 56,000 of them benefit deduction orders) have been granted by Scottish courts.
All fines will be robustly pursued by the SCS, however, anyone experiencing genuine difficulty should contact a local fines enforcement officer who can help to arrange instalments.
Notes:
The report can be accessed on the SCS website.