By XAVIER SMERDON
ALMOST 30,000 Hobsons Bay residents had the sheriff on their heels last year, exclusive figures obtained by Star reveal.
Some 29,363 people received a warrant from the sheriff’s office for unpaid fines in the last financial year.
The number of warrants paled in comparison to some other Western and Northern Suburbs, such as Hume, which saw 95,534 people added to the sheriff’s list.
Brimbank residents were issued with a staggering 91,827 warrants. In Wyndham 47,825 warrants were issued, 39,055 in Whittlesea, 30,557 in Maribyrnong, and 9477 in Mitchell.
People that ignore warrants could eventually have their car or even their house confiscated and sold at auction.
As a worst-case scenario residents could face jail time if they continue to flaunt the system. A Department of Justice spokesperson said the number of warrants issued had risen by 30 per cent over the 2009-’10 financial year.
“Ignoring your fines does not make them go away,” the spokesperson said.
“There are approximately 190 sheriff’s officers in Victoria routinely contacting offenders at their homes/business or taking part in a range of enforcement activities which can include multi-agency operations.
“The majority of fines issued in Victoria are paid promptly but a minority of the community breach court orders and do not pay their fines.”
The spokesperson said in Victoria over the last year more than $5.3 million worth of warrants were cleared and around 85 per cent of people took action to clear their warrants after being sanctioned with registration non-renewal.
