By XAVIER SMERDON
ALMOST 50,000 Wyndham residents had the Sheriff on their heels, exclusive figures obtained by Star reveal.
A total of 47,825 people – almost one in three residents in Wyndham – received a warrant from the Sheriff’s office for unpaid fines in the last financial year.
The revelation comes after more than 30 cars were clamped by the Sheriff’s office in Werribee last month.
The number of warrants paled in comparison to some other western suburbs, with Brimbank residents issued with a staggering 91,827 warrants.
In Whittlesea 39,055 warrants were issued while there were 30,557 in Maribyrnong, 29,363 in Hobsons Bay and 9,477 in Mitchell Shire.
People who 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 continued 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 breaches 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.
