Joint operation leads to recovery of unpaid fines

Minister for Courts Georgina te Heuheu is praising the Ministry of Justice and Police for a joint operation which has led to the recovery of thousands of dollars of unpaid fines.


On the nights of 26 and 27 March, court staff attended a Police road safety operation in South Auckland and checked vehicle registrations to establish if the registered owner had outstanding fines or reparation.


"Of the 2,000 vehicles checked 80 were seized for unpaid fines, and more than $12,000 was paid over the two nights. A further $35,665 was paid during the 10 days following the operation," Mrs te Heuheu said.


"Participating in joint operations with the Police is an innovative way for the court to collect unpaid fines and reparation.


"It's also an effective way to maintain the court's visibility and presence in the community.


"And it's clearly paying off with a total of $240.4 million of fines and reparation collected, either in full or under a payment arrangement, during the 2009 financial year. That's up from $233 million in 2008 and $218.6 million in 2007."