All across of Europe, more measures are being taken to make it even more difficult for smokers. Britain is, for example, considering a ban on cigarette vending machines, removing cigarettes from display in shops and outlawing the sale of packets of 10. Elsewhere, smoking in closed public places has become almost impossible in every European country, and the laws that have been enacted and being implemented have become harsher. Likewise the penalties for those who abuse.

Malta was one of the pioneers in all this. The country became one of the first in Europe to ban smoking in public places, including restaurants. We all remember the fuss that was created when the law was being contemplated and discussed in Parliament in 2004. A few years have passed, and we have got used to it.

As a people, we are like that. We always complain, and we tend to complain about everything. The same happened, for example, when the compulsory wearing of a seat-belt while driving was being debated. We all protested, but rightly so the government went through with its proposition, and today nobody speaks about it anymore. Drivers automatically wear the seat-belt in their car before they drive and, if they don’t, they feel something is missing and soon remember what they have to do.

The same thing happened when the smoking in public ban was on the cards. Bar and restaurant owners were up in arms believing that they would have lost business and that they would have had to close down. A few years down the line, they have realised that their fears have come to nothing. People still flock to their bars and restaurants to socialise, and the only inconvenience is that smokers have to leave the building to have a cigarette.

Still, there are people who abuse the system, fail to comprehend that they are being disrespectful towards others, and it is good to know that the police are not being complacent in this matter.

Figures published by this newspaper earlier this month show that there has been a steady increase in the number of people who have been charged with smoking in public places, most notably in bars and restaurants. Since the law came into force in October 2004, almost 3,000 people were arraigned.

Initially, the police chose a word of caution rather than strict discipline, and in the first three months – between October and December 2004 – only 45 people were arraigned. Since then, however, the number rose to 230 in 2005, 776 in 2006 and 1,275 in 2007. In the first four months of this year, some 560 people were charged with the offence.

It means that the police are doing their job. Usually, when laws are introduced in Malta, we get a few months of strict enforcement, only for the pressure to be reduced later. In this case, it is clear that the police have not let go, and are implementing the rules which, after all, are there to safeguard our health.

Today, the atmosphere in bars and restaurants is much “cleaner”. One can eat and drink in peace without having to inhale other people’s smoke, and this contributes to people taking their time to finish their meal and not having to return home smelling of burnt tobacco.

Let us all remember that smoking is, after all, one of the greatest causes of diseases and deaths. In Malta, at least one person dies from a smoking-related disease every day.

Let us all also remember that laws are there to be followed, and that smokers would be doing a big favour to others – but also to themselves – if they respect the rules.