By Cam Lucadou-Wells
Motorists with more than $141,000 of outstanding warrants had their day of reckoning during a Sheriff’s Office and Victoria Police joint clampdown in Narre Warren and Cranbourne on Tuesday, 31 January.
Twenty-three fine evaders with a collective 422 outstanding warrants were detected with Automatic Number Plate Recognition in just three hours on Cranbourne Road in Narre Warren and Linsell Boulevard in Cranbourne.
Eight fine evaders paid more than $13,000 to clear 42 warrants on the day.
Another seven were required to pay more than $27,000 in debts within a week to avoid suspension of their driver licences or vehicle registrations.
Officers clamped one vehicle’s wheel – which would remain clamped until the driver’s debt was cleared.
At the same sites, Victoria Police members conducted breath tests and detected six unregistered vehicles, six unlicensed drivers and six people driving while suspended.
Sergeant Katie Arnol, of Cranbourne police, said suspended, unregistered and unlicensed drivers were a particular target given they were involved in 19 per cent of fatal car crashes in Victoria.
Automatic Number Plate Recognition sites were being operated monthly in Casey to help drive down the high incidence of banned motorists, Sgt Arnol said.
She regarded the latest operation’s numbers as “slower than usual” in Casey.
Sheriff of Victoria Brendan Facey said the operation showed his officers could be “anywhere at any time”.
“This operation was designed to find those people who are deliberately trying to avoid paying their fines, while minimising any inconvenience to other motorists.
“Paying your fines is not voluntary.
“If you do incur a fine, contact us to discuss your options and deal with it early before additional penalties apply.”
