$11.8m of fines owed in city

The level of outstanding fines in Invercargill is set to be the highest in five years, figures from the Justice Ministry show.

The figures, released to The Southland Times last week, show as of February 28, $11.8 million was owed in Invercargill, $2.2m in Gore, $1.6m in Balclutha, $2m in Alexandra and $3.3m in Queenstown.

The Invercargill figure is already higher than last year's, when at the end of the financial year (June 30), $11.3m was owed.

The figures also show fines have been steadily increasing in most southern centres during the past five years. In Invercargill the figure jumped from $6.9m in 2005, to $11.3m last year. The figure in Gore moved from $2m in 2005 to $2.3m last year, in Balclutha from $1.3m to $1.5m, in Alexandra from $1.5m to $2m, and in Queenstown from $2m to $3.3m.

Sensible Sentencing Trust spokesman Garth McVicar said the figures not only reflected escalating crime levels, but also society's growing refusal to accept crime.

Police had also become more proactive, which could account for some of the increase, Mr McVicar said.

The problem now was to figure out a way to get people who owed fines to pay them.

Inspector Olaf Jensen, of Invercargill, said police had definitely become more proactive in their approach, but he did not knowwhether that translated into more fines.

Courts Minister Georgina te Heuheu said in an emailed response to questions from The Southland Times, the level of outstanding fines was unacceptable and the Government was working to address it.

"The enforcement of fines, reparation and civil debt are in for a shakeup under the Courts and Criminal Matters Bill, which I am planning to introduce to Parliament shortly. ... These changes are expected to give the court an increased capacity to enforce fines payment from people who can likely pay but have decided not to comply," she said.

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