Leicestershire Police clawed back more than £9,000 in unpaid court fines from people it took into custody in the past year.
Officers in the force's custody suite routinely check whether prisoners have any outstanding court fines.
The force can then confiscate any cash the detainee is carrying with them and pass it on to the courts.
The force said today it had taken more than £9,300 from 34 prisoners in the past year.
Paul Wenlock, manager of the force's economic crime unit, said: "Chasing unpaid fines can be a time-consuming and costly process for court service and ultimately the police.
"So it makes sense for us to try to recover fines when we have the offenders in custody.
"Even if they only have £10 on them, we can take that and use it to pay towards their debt.
"It is another step we are able to take to make sure offenders don't evade justice, and we are doing it in the most efficient way for taxpayers."
