Why all the smoke and mirrors?

THE intention behind the ban on smoking in cars carrying children was a good one.

The announcement in December, promising fines of up to £1000, must have made many people stub out old habits.

This seemed to be a serious attempt to improve the health of children. But it wasn’t. The discovery of an instruction to police that this “law” was really an attempt to effect behavioural change, dilutes the message.

Not giving police the paperwork to issue fines shows the whole thing to be a puffball of bluster.

Why did the government hoodwink the public like this?

Why smash us over the head with dire threats of punishment?

Why lay down the law when they had no intention of imposing the law?

We, the public, shouldn’t be fooled like this. Tell us what the law is and we’ll know where we stand.

Don’t say one thing, then do another. It creates a fuzzy line where people don’t know what is a crime and what isn’t.

It hamstrings the police, disrespects the concept of the rule of law and erodes trust between those in authority and the police.

Treat us like adults and we will respond like adults.

Just tell us the truth.