Fines enforcers not needed, say sheriff officers

Claim that officers should take on new role in Justice Bill

News, 3 May 2006

Scotland's sheriff officers have warned against the creation of a new category of officers who would enforce payment of court fines.

The Society of Messengers at Arms and Sheriff Officers has said that this new role would be expensive and unnecessary, and that its members have the necessary qualifications and experience for the job.

The Criminal Proceedings (Reform) (Scotland) Bill currently before parliament proposes that fines enforcement officers are brought in to ensure payment of penalties imposed in courts.

Their job would also be to give offenders information and advice about paying their fines.

The society said that sheriff officers already have the expertise, necessary staff and IT infrastructure in place to do the job. Bringing in new staff would be expensive and would lead to duplication.

The Scottish Executive has said that it believes the enforcement of fines should be carried out under the jurisdiction and control of the court and that this was the current position, as only a small number of fines each year were enforced by sheriff officers.

A spokesperson said the Executive wanted dedicated, publicly-employed fine enforcement officers. This would, she said, free up the court's time to deal with more appropriate matters.

However, in a written statement to the parliament's Justice 1 Committee, the society's vice president John Campbell has said that the collection and enforcement of financial penalties was an integral part of an officer's duty. He claimed that the Executive's proposals were "blindly" following the example of England and Wales, and that using sheriff officers to enforce fine payment would be cost neutral.