Wheel Clamping for Unpaid Parking and Traffic Fines at Victorian Shopping Centres
I had heard a story recently about wheel clamping by the Sheriff's Office for unpaid parking and or traffic fines. But tonight i witnessed it first hand at Chadstone Shopping Centre. A woman had returned to her vehicle after work to find a clamp firmly on her car wheel and a sticker on the window from the Sheriff.
It seems that the Sheriff's Office send their lackeys around shopping centres to find people who haven't paid their fines. They check each number plate and if you have an outstanding fine then voila, on goes a wheel clamp.
Until you pay any outstanding money you cant get your car unclamped. That could take days. Even weeks. Its hard to believe that Chadstone management are allowing such activities to occur. This is Christmas time, and car parks are hard to come by. They don't need countless cars being stuck at the centre, denying others the opportunity to park.
Apparently the Sheriff has wide ranging powers to clamp your car almost anywhere: "Any vehicle registered in your name can be wheel clamped wherever it is parked, including at your home, work, at a roadblock or public carpark." But is Chadstone a "public carpark"? It is private land after all.
I'm sure it isn't just Chadstone either. These pretend police are probably doing their best to spoil Christmas for thousands of shoppers all over Melbourne. So a quick word of advice. If you do have outstanding fines, try to park somewhere other than a carpark. Park around the corner from the shopping centre.
And dont get me started on the revenue raising parking fines. Or on the half wits they employ as parking officers. Yes, they are the scum of the earth. What do they say at parties i wonder when people ask them what they do for a living? Are they honest?
This is what could happen:
How does wheel clamping work?
Any vehicle registered in your name can be wheel clamped wherever it is parked, including at your home, work, at a roadblock or public carpark. This can happen at any time, whether or not you have been given notice that this will occur.
To wheel clamp your vehicle, a sheriff's officer may enter your vehicle or move your vehicle. A sheriff's officer can also require you to give them the keys to your vehicle and can remove, dismantle or neutralise your vehicle's locking device. A sheriff's officer can demand identification from you if they suspect you are the person named in an infringement warrant. If you do not comply, or if you give false information, you can be fined.
It is a serious offence to tamper with or remove a wheel clamp that has been fitted to a vehicle. The maximum penalty for a first offence is in excess of $6,805* or six months imprisonment.
The sanction will only be lifted after you have paid in full in person or the Infringements Court has granted you a payment order or revocation. However, the sanction continues while the Infringements Court is processing any application for a payment order or revocation.
If your vehicle has been wheel clamped, you must act quickly if you want the wheel clamp removed. The sheriff's officer will remove the wheel clamp only after you have cleared your infringement warrant and discussed this directly with them.
To arrange to have your wheel clamp removed and clear your infringement warrant, you must call the number on the sticker that has been left on your wheel clamped vehicle immediately and speak to a sheriff's officer.
About Just Grumpy
5 comments
I've seen quite a few wheel clamps this year. It used to be a rare sight but perhaps with the GFC people put off paying their fines in favour of, I don't know, food? How dare they!
Actually, all of the cars I saw were rather expensive so I wasn't all that sympathetic! lol
I think it is discusting, not everyone is shopping for Xmas, I shop at chaddy for my food with eight children I have a Prado but we dont have money, my husband works very hard but has a heart condition and I work part time, we dont have spare money for fines we just keep our head above water and no we dont sponge off the government, do you get the opportunity to pay these fines off, if not I would be stuffed
i think that any one that has an issue with paying there fines for say driving whilst on the phone / speeding etc should have a hard good look at themselves. people like you kill people on our roads and should be ashamed!!! i think if it takes a wheel clamp for people to wake up to themselves and see that breaking the law is a low act and costS lives then so be it. People are always the first to whinge and complain about something like a wheel clamp what happens when a speeding motorist runs your family member ofF the road?? what then not enough police??? please give me a break... STOP BREAKING THE LAW!!!
The roads and carparks in Chadstone Shopping Centre are NOT private land. They are Government owned, and parking infringements there are issued by the council, not the Centre. That is probably why they use Chadstone to clamp vehicles.
I had a parking fine by the police due to park in a non designated parking at Chadstone lower ground. There are no notifications about parking "It is under road authority regulations". I can see why public hates police, and also they are arrogant, they think they can do whatever they want, he was in unmarked car, and himself obstruct the traffic in the driving lane. Please explain.
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