£17,000 recovered from fines dodgers’ bank accounts

More than 70 fines dodgers in the Glasgow area paid up their outstanding fines after finding that their bank accounts had been frozen.

Some £17,000 was recovered from 75 non-payers over the past quarter, with 37 of them paying up immediately when they found their accounts had been arrested.

Among the non-payers was a Robroyston man who was fined £1,800 at Glasgow Sheriff Court for a number of road traffic offences including drink driving. After an initial payment the man failed to settle the bulk of his bill for months until enforcement officers were successful in freezing his account after which he settled the outstanding sum of £1,200 within four days.

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A Glasgow driver who was fined £1,400 at an English court for driving offences in Manchester paid only £20 of his fine until the fines order was transferred to Scotland and Glasgow fines officers tracked down and arrested his account. The man then speedily settled the outstanding £1,380 bill.

The 43rd Quarterly Fines Report published today by the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service shows that the value of fines and penalties collected in the last three years has risen in all categories, reflecting consistently strong collection rates.

The report reveals that the value of Sheriff Court fines imposed during the three-year period between 2016/17 and 2019/20, and now either paid or on track to be paid as at 20 January 2020, has risen to 90 per cent – an increase of one percentage point over the last quarter.

The value of JP Court fines shows a rise of two percentage points from 88 to 90 per cent over the same period, while Fiscal Penalties are up three points from 73 to 76 per cent and Police Fixed Penalties are also up by three points from 78 to 81 per cent.

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These high rates reflect ongoing success by Fines Enforcement Units in rigorously pursuing non-payers. Freezing bank accounts, arresting earnings, clamping vehicles or even arresting non-payers travelling through ports and airports are among enforcement measures available to the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) for recoveringunpaid fines. Non-payers can also have money taken directly from benefits and more than 6,900 benefit deduction orders were granted in the last quarter alone.

SCTS Chief Operations Officer David Fraser said: “The latest Quarterly Fines Report reflects a continuing success story of steady improvement in fines collection and illustrates how fines enforcement teams continue to be highly effective in securing unpaid fines. It is very unwise not to pay a fine or not to engage with an enforcement officer if someone is having difficulty paying. With our national dedicated team of fines enforcement officers, non-payment of a fine or non-engagement is simply not an option.”

In all cases, offenders have opportunities to make payment of their fines at a reasonable and affordable instalment rate. All defaulters are issued warnings before action is taken. Those in genuine financial difficulty can engage with enforcement officers to discuss payment terms.

Most fines can be paid round the clock at www.scotcourts.gov.uk/payyourfine or using our automated telephone payment system by phoning 0300 790 0003. Only fines which involve the endorsement of a driving record cannot be paid electronically at the moment. For those penalties that cannot be paid using the online or telephone payment systems, customers can post payments to Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service, Central Processing Unit, PO Box 23, Glasgow, G59 9DA or take it in person to any Scottish court fines office.