Court Staff congratulated on fines recovery operation in Auckland

Minister for Courts Georgina te Heuheu today congratulated court staff who participated in a highly successful joint operation with the Police in Waitakere which saw over 10,000 vehicles stopped and thousands of dollars of fines recovered.

Court staff collected $5,500 in outstanding fines at nine checkpoints over the weekend of 30 April and 01 May, and a further $8,000 in outstanding fines and reparations was paid following the operation.

Thirty- four vehicles with outstanding fines totalling over $77,000 were seized.

"I would like to congratulate court staff for participating in this joint operation.  It is an effective way for the courts to collect unpaid fines and reparation, and maintains the courts' visibility in the community," Mrs te Heuheu said.

The recovery of unpaid fines and reparation has been increasing year-on-year.  A total of $240.4 million of fines and reparation was collected (either in full or under a payment arrangement) within 12 months of imposition during the 2009 financial year.  This is up from $233.0 million collected in 2008 and $218.6 million collected in 2007.

"The new Courts and Criminal Matters Bill recently introduced into Parliament aims to enhance the courts' powers to collect fines, reparation payments, and civil debt, and demonstrates the Government's determination to address the high level of unpaid monies," Mrs te Heuheu said.