2 April 2019
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Our Reference: IR-01-19-4904 
 
Jessica Lim 
Email: [FYI request #9514 email] 
 
 
Dear Jessica 
I am writing to you in response to your request dated 4 February 2019. You asked: 
  How many people have been arrested for the non-payment of fines?  
  How many people have been arrested for the non-payment of fines in total? 
(Whether it be primary, secondary, tertiary. etc offences)?  
While Police have the powers of arrest, enforcement of fine payment does not sit with 
Police alone. Based on your previous requests to Inland Revenue and Department of 
Corrections, you are well aware of this, but more information on enforcement of fines can 
be found here: https://www.justice.govt.nz/fines/about-fines/fines-enforcement/ 
When Police do arrest someone for fines, the detained person is processed through our 
Custody database, with a "fines enforcement warrant to arrest" code. New Zealand Police 
began keeping electronic custody records in 2008 (first a pilot and then rolled out 
nationwide in 2010).  
As at 11 March 2019, there have been 29,938 custodies for fines enforcement for 18,948 
people – this means some people have been arrested multiple times for fines 
enforcement between 2008 and 2019. Please note that fines enforcement may have 
been just one of the reasons each person was arrested, not the sole reason. 
Yours sincerely 
 
Andrew Sissons 
Acting Superintendent 
Response and Operations 
 
Police National Headquarters  
180 Molesworth Street. PO Box 3017, Wellington 6140, New Zealand.  
Telephone: 04 474 9499. Fax: 04 498 7400. www.police.govt.nz   

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