The Government is planning to introduce court orders to crack down on anti-social behaviour, it emerged tonight.
The orders will allow persistent offenders to be banned from associating in particular areas or with particular people.
The Minister for Justice Mr McDowell said those who breached the anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs) would face a fine or prison sentence.
At the launch of the Lord Mayor's Commission on Crime report, he said the ASBOs would provide protection for people who were too frightened to stand up to their persecutors.
"I am aware that there is a growing concern about incidences of anti-social behaviour in society. Vulnerable people, particularly the elderly, can be subjected to serious nuisance and forms of harassment which of themselves may not be criminal offences but which may cause great distress to the people concerned," he said.
The ASBOs are to form part of the Criminal Justice Bill, which will be debated in the Dail later this month. However, it is expected to take until the end of the year to pass the legislation.
ASBOs were introduced in Britain in 1999 to deal with individuals and families who made life difficult for their communities. Around 2,500 were issued last year, including two targeted at 10-year old twins who had made life intolerable for their neighbours.