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Thousands of council staff are being trained to police the smoking ban in bars, restaurants and shops in England.

Ministers have given councils £29.5m to pay for staff, who will be able to give on-the-spot £50 fines to individuals and take court action against premises.

They will have the power to enter premises undercover, allowing them to sit among drinkers, and will even be able to photograph and film people.

Smokers' groups and industry officials said the plans were a "waste of money".

The smoking ban is due to come into force on 1 July. It covers virtually all enclosed public places including offices, factories, pubs and bars. But neither outdoor space nor private homes will be affected.


The idea of getting public officials to snoop on people is distasteful and disproportionate
Simon Clark,
Forest

Business owners also have a duty to ensure their customers comply - they are liable for £200 fines if proper signs are not displayed and, potentially, fines of £2,500 if they refuse to enforce the ban.

Local authorities have been given the power to enforce the ban so it does not consume police time.

A government-funded course is expected to train 1,200 council officers in the next few months with more expected to follow later.

Councils will use these fully-trained officers to brief other staff on how to enforce the law as many towns and cities will have scores of officers patrolling public places.

The teams will be made up of new staff and existing officers who will be freed up to carry out inspections and offer advice.

In London, there will be several hundred of the so-called anti-smoking police, with 40 in Westminster alone.

Two approaches

Ian Gray, policy officer for the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health and chief trainer for the government course, said he expected most councils would take a "softly, softly approach" at first.

"But there will be some occasions where action has to be taken and I am sure the compliance officers will not shy away from that," he added.

"These officers do not have to identify themselves when they go into premises and they can even film and photograph people to gather evidence although this may not be appropriate in many cases.

"There will be two ways of doing this, either staff can go in and identify themselves to the landlord, but they don't have to."


We want to make our presence felt from the start
Andy Hull,
Liverpool City Council

In Nottingham, there will be about 30 officers patrolling the city, composed of new staff and existing environmental health officers.

But the council is also exploring the possibility of getting street wardens, who currently aid the local police force, to help ensure the ban is effectively enforced.

Steve Dowling, director of environment and public protection at Nottingham City Council, said: "We have about 100 wardens and they could keep an eye on whether people are smoking in pubs as they go about their other duties.

"But it is not just about pubs and restaurants.

"We will also be looking at the likes of car garages and shops are complying as well."

'A sledgehammer'

In Liverpool, there will be a core team of about 20 to 25 staff keeping an eye on public places, although in the first few days after the start of the ban the council is planning to do a mass patrol of the city with 200 staff.


HAVE YOUR SAY
If only this money could be spent on having real police on our streets catching and deterring real criminals
Dan Hassett, Folkestone

Send us your comments

Liverpool City Council official Andy Hull said: "We want to make our presence felt from the start, and while we will probably just issue warnings on the first day, we won't be afraid of making an example of people or businesses if they try to make a stand."

And across Wales, where the smoking ban comes into force in April, 500 officers will be carrying out inspections after councils received just under £3m.

But Simon Clark, director of smokers' lobby group Forest, said: "The idea of getting public officials to snoop on people is distasteful and disproportionate.

"It is like taking a sledgehammer to crack a nut. Smokers will abide by the law so it will be a complete waste of public money."

And a spokesman for the British Beer and Pub Association added the approach was too "heavy-handed and elaborate", especially when the experience in Scotland, which has already introduced a ban, is considered.

"In Scotland, there have been just 11 fixed penalty notices issued to premises in the last 10 months, with many councils having issued none at all."

I hope they've only hired big burly guys as the inspectors. How do you think its gonna play out when some jumped-up little sh*t goes up to a group of drunk lads in the local pub who've just sparked up and tells them to put it out, waving his fine pad and camera at them; the evidence in court will likely look more like a colonoscopy!

I thought they had to decriminalise illegal parking before local authorities could go around fining people for that offence.

So how come civilians will be able to give out on-the-spot fines for the criminal activity of smoking in a public place? And who gets the money?

A while back i predicted that smoking parents whose children have a history of respriritory illness will eventually be treated as child abusers (I believe that over 80% of under 5's admitted to hospital with chest problems have smoking parents so there is some justification in this)

One also wonders what type of person would do this job. I suspect a petty minded (little man/woman) who love the tiny little bit of power they have. Perhaps PCSO rejects? I wonder what would the fine be if I was to shove the camera up their arse?

Well, as a none-smoker, am I going to have the right to ask that my identy be disguised on the films they collect?

money making scheme to the core

How do you think its gonna play out when some jumped-up little sh*t goes up to a group of drunk lads in the local pub who've just sparked up and tells them to put it out, waving his fine pad and camera at them; the evidence in court will likely look more like a colonoscopy!

i for one will continue to smoke where and when i want, its perfectly healthy to do so, if they dont like me smoking then i would advise them to stop breathing

money making scheme to the core

i for one will continue to smoke where and when i want, its perfectly healthy to do so, if they dont like me smoking then i would advise them to stop breathing

money making scheme to the core

Smoking actually does kill after all!

MrsMiggins

Now, now cam-op. Defiance of the law is not on. If you don't like the law you should campaign to change it. Wink