Enhancement measures for the execution of non-payment warrant

olice would implement enhancement measures for the execution of non-payment warrants with a view to effectively apprehending defaulters who had failed to settle their outstanding fines arising from traffic or non-traffic offences and were being wanted for non-payment warrants, a Police spokesman said today (April 11).

These measures include:
* a comprehensive action checklist for warrant execution will be issued for compliance by frontline officers;
* close monitoring of the situation on the execution in the frontline divisions; and
* stepped-up actions to locate and arrest defaulters wanted for non-payment warrants at immigration check points.

"The arrangements, which will be put in place from April 15, are made in response to the recommendation made by the Director of Audit on the execution of non-payment warrants by the Police," the spokesman said.

Audit noted in its Report No. 46 that there were a total of 7, 254 defaulters with outstanding non-payment warrants as at the end of 2005 notwithstanding that attempts had been made for their execution by the Police. Among these 7, 254 persons, a significant amount of fines is due from a small number of persistent defaulters wanted for multiple number of outstanding non-payment warrants.

"While agreeing that a person who defied a court order repeatedly and incurs a substantial amount of fines must be properly and solemnly dealt with, the Police has worked out an operational plan to locate and arrest serious cases of payment defaulters wanted for multiple number of non-payment warrants upon their arrival to avoid jeopardizing smooth passenger traffic at immigration check points. This course of actions will be reviewed at a later stage," the spokesman stressed.

"We urge members of the public to settle their outstanding fines, if any, as soon as possible, otherwise these defaulters will be subject to the legitimate arrest action empowered by the non-payment warrant," he added.


Police Report No. 2

Issued by PPRB

End/Wednesday, April 11, 2007