MORE than 120 people who failed to pay court fines or attend legal hearings were targeted in raids by police and court service officials.
As a result, they are now paying back their fines, totalling £65,020, while some have paid up in full.
The debtors were tackled in a court enforcement operation organised by HM Courts Service enforcement officers in Lache, Chester, and joint operations between HMCS and the police in Ellesmere Port and Blacon at the end of July.
The operation led to:
Forty-six arrests being made by court enforcement officers
Fifty-four people being made to attend court in response to notes sent out and visits made to homes by enforcement officers
Twenty people dealt with over the phone in response to receiving a Warrant Letter
Twenty-three accounts being paid in full
Seventeen cases dealt with in court
And 80 cases dealt with by Fines Officers.
The amount recovered to date is £9,649.
Peter Fahy, chair of the Cheshire Criminal Justice Board and chief constable of Cheshire police, said: “Some people who do not pay their fines or attend court think they can get away with not paying money they owe to the courts. This is not acceptable.
“The joint working of the police and court enforcement officers and intelligence from other agencies shows we will actively pursue any non-payers.
“This will result in enforcement officers and police turning up at their home address, or work place and people facing arrest and another court appearance where a harsher sentence may be passed down.”
Geoffrey Appleton, acting area director of HM Courts Service for Cheshire and Merseyside, said: “This represents a magnificent achievement and yet again demonstrates the strong partnership between the police and us.
“Together we will ensure that those who either seek to avoid payment or attending court will have no hiding place.”
