By NICOLE VALICEK
MORE people in Hobsons Bay could find themselves in debt due to unpaid fines, according to the Sheriff of Victoria Brendan Facey.
In Hobsons Bay there are a staggering 14,472 people with more than 69,000 outstanding warrants, amounting to more than $25 million.
Statistics from the 2012-’13 financial year show that despite a large jump in activity from the Sheriff’s Office, the overall amount of unpaid fines continues to grow.
In total people now owe more than $1.3 billion in unpaid fines stemming from fines including tolling, speeding and parking offences.
“Too many people are letting their fines get out of control,” Mr Facey said.
“Getting help with your fines is easy, ignoring them will lead to action from the Sheriff’s Office.”
Hobsons Bay Police Inspector Richard Paterson said the police ran several operations with the Sheriff’s Office and other enforcement agencies including VicRoads and the Environmental Protection Authority throughout the year.
“These operations are capable of checking thousands of people and vehicles during a day,” he said.
Insp Paterson said people who had outstanding fines or warrants should contact the Sheriff’s Office immediately. “This will prevent actions being taken against people with outstanding warrants during the course of these operations.”
“This will also allow those people with outstanding warrants and fines to put a plan in place to deal with them.”
He said people needed to be aware that fines didn’t just go away, and until they were dealt with they would remain active.
Last year the Sheriff’s Office actioned more than $1.1 million in warrants and arrested more than 2000 people.
At the end of July Operation DANPR was conducted in Laverton with the Sheriff’s Office executing over $28,000 in warrants.
Insp Paterson said Operations Consuleus and Walkflower would be conducted later this month and in October.
It is anticipated that the sheriff’s office will be involved with these. This is an increase of more than 27 per cent from the previous year.
Nearly 280,000 licence plates were scanned as part of checks across the state.
Mr Facey said this was a reminder to people that the Sheriff’s Office was working around the clock to recover money owed to Victorian taxpayers.
“But clearly for some people they are not getting the message until a Sheriff’s Officer clamps their car, suspends their driver’s licence or suspends them.”
Individuals can track and pay their outstanding fines at www.fines.gov.au or by visiting any of the justice service centres.
