A vehicle was seized and more than $32,000 in outstanding court fines and reparations were collected as bailiffs trialled new number plate scanning technology in Auckland at the weekend.
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith announced the trial on Friday, saying: “If you haven’t paid your court fines, you may soon find yourself walking home or needing a lift.”
That proved to be the case for one unfortunate motorist at the weekend.
Five bailiffs scanned more than 4800 number plates at two police checkpoints on Friday and Saturday, with 208 positive matches for outstanding fines being detected.
Ministry of Justice national service delivery group manager Tracey Baguley said most had already taken appropriate steps to settle their debts with active payment arrangements.
“Enforcement action was taken against 32 people on the roadside resulting in a total of $32,000 being collected from 31 people. One person had their vehicle seized and towed.”
Handheld devices scan the number plates of parked cars and determine whether the owners have overdue fines or reparations. (Source: 1News)
The new technology used handheld devices loaded with software to scan a vehicle number plate and check it against a database, quickly confirming whether a vehicle was registered to someone with outstanding fines or reparations.
Baguley said the technology had proved to be an “effective tool” in just two days for the Ministry of Justice to identify those who had not paid fines.
“Bailiffs working at the checkpoints were able to engage constructively with members of the public during the weekend operation, providing information and support regarding payments.”
The new technology would be trialled around the country until the end of the year.
