More Belgian fine defaulters caught thanks to smart cameras

More and more fine defaulters in Belgium are running into customs. Thanks to the use of smart cameras, 3,686 overdue fines could be collected last year, amounting to 2.5 million euros. This year too, the FPS Finance sees high numbers, De Zondag writes. "These are only the cases where there is a manifest unwillingness to pay."

Since 1 January 2017, Belgian customs' smart cameras have been feared by defaulters in our country. This is because the ANPR cameras, which can scan the number plates of passing cars, have since been connected to a database of individuals and companies with overdue fines to their names. The entry of the smart cameras was an immediate success, with 1.7 million euros in overdue fines collected in the first year.

After 2018, with another 1.7 million euros in overdue fines, the amount went down. For instance, 1.2 million euros were recovered in 2019 and 1.1 million euros in 2020. Since 2021, however, the figures have seen a sharp spike. Last year, a total of 3,686 overdue fines were collected, totalling 2.5 million euros.

Things seem to be heading in the same direction in 2022. By the end of August, 2,246 collections worth €1.7 million had already been recorded. "What is important to know is the fact that these are not just outstanding fines," says Francis Adyns, spokesperson for the FPS Finance. "We are really talking about manifest unwillingness to pay. All the people in the database have therefore received at least three warnings and usually the file has been dragging on for many months. Sometimes even a year."

(TOM)

© BELGA PHOTO JONAS D'HOLLANDER