A Dundee resident this week became the first person to have a vehicle clamped in the city for failing to pay a fine.
Other vehicles belonging to fine defaulters in the area are now being ear marked for clamping over the next three months.
The man had fallen behind on payment for a fine issued in the city’s Justice of the Peace Court for a driving offence. In order to reclaim his car he was required to pay not only the original fine but additional clamping costs.
If he had not paid the full amount within 24 hours, the Scottish Court Service (SCS) would have uplifted his car and removed it to storage where further daily charges would have accrued. Ultimately the Court can sell or scrap unclaimed vehicles.
The SCS has a range of enforcement powers in place to collect outstanding fines which, as well as clamping cars, includes arresting wages, deducting benefits and freezing bank accounts.
Chief Operations Officer Cliff Binning warns: "If you have an outstanding fine in the Dundee area, we urge you to catch up with your payments now. If you don’t, you could be the next person to see your car clamped or your employer approached to deduct money directly from your wages. If your car is seized you then have to pay the additional cost to get it back, it just isn’t worth it.
“We pursue all unpaid fines, from road violations to court penalties. If you are in genuine financial difficulty you can contact a member of the fines enforcement team to discuss your payment terms.”
Fines collection rates remain strong and a recent quarterly report shows that 89% of the value of sheriff court fines imposed over the three year period from 2009-10 to 2011-12 has either been paid or is on track to be paid through instalments. As of July this year, more than 490,000 enforcement orders have been granted, while payments deducted directly from benefits during the last financial year reached £2 million.
“There is no excuse for offenders not to pay their fines or contact our enforcement team for advice,” says Mr Binning. “Payment can be made online, by phone, by post or in person at any sheriff court or justice of the peace court.”
Online facilities allow most fines to be paid round the clock and during the last financial year, electronic payments reached £3.4 million.
Most fines can be paid on our secure website at pay a fine by completing five easy steps using a debit or credit card. Only fines which involve the endorsement of a driving licence with penalty points cannot be paid electronically including some police traffic tickets and penalties issued by the Safety Camera Partnerships for speeding or running a red light. In these instances offenders can post their licence to: Scottish Court Service, Central Processing Unit, PO Box 23, Glasgow, G59 9DA or take it in person to any Scottish court.
A copy of the most recent SCS Quarterly Fines Report is available on the website.