Paul McBride QC was among voices calling for Scotland's maligned fiscal fines system to be abolished after it was revealed that 15,000 of the fines remained unpaid. That equates to 41% of the total issued.

The fines were introduced over an 18 month phase in of judicial reforms which removed cases from the court system and introduced judicial power to police. Fiscal fines were also offered as alternatives to prosecution, but were criticised for providing a route to conviction without the usual safeguards of a full judicial defence.

"There now has to be a complete rethink about fiscal fines and their effectiveness, because it is plain from today's figures they're no longer working in the way the government suggested they would," McBride said.

"No amount of spin can reveal anything other than that the policy has been an unmitigated disaster and one wonders about the expense and levels of bureaucracy which have resulted. The effect of all of this is that many people who have committed offences have escaped any form of punishment.

"This latest shambles demonstrates that Scottish law and order policy has become an embarrassment and criminals no longer fear either the police or the courts."

Fiscal fines worth £3.7 million were imposed as an alternative to court action. Only £1.3m has been collected so far, £1.2m is being paid in instalments and the other £1.2m is in arrears. 

The reforms were part of a much touted "swifter, fairer" system of justice.