ONE MONTH since its implementation and 301 people have found themselves on the wrong side of the law regarding the ban on indoor smoking in public places. So far, police have charged 197 people for smoking and 104 owners or managers of establishments for letting people smoke.

According to data released by the police, officers made a total of 3,665 smoking-related inspections in January. By district, the number of inspections, fines and cases going to court are as follows: Nicosia - 444 inspections, 45 on-the-spot fines, and three cases will be brought to court; Limassol - 1,133 inspections, 221 fines and three cases will be brought to court; Larnaca - 482 inspections, 15 fines, and four cases will be brought to court; Paphos - 500 inspections and two fines; Famagusta - 620 inspections, five fines, and one case will be brought to court; Morphou - 486 inspections and two fines.

Police spokesman Michael Katsounotos said yesterday the aim was to reach 100 per cent compliance with the law on smoking, adding that as things stood today, with a little good will, this goal was attainable.

He denied suggestions that the police were applying double standards by carrying out a greater number of inspections and imposing more fines in the Limassol district than other districts. Katsounotos noted that Limassol has the largest number of leisure establishments and hence, a larger number of inspections and fines.

Katsounotos also commented that the discrepancy between the number of inspections conducted in Nicosia and Morphou should not be attributed to an uneven enforcement of policy by district, but rather to the fact that police headquarters in Nicosia have had more pressing matters to attend to in the past two months.