Serious crime prevention orders, or "Super Asbos", will make no difference to Northern Ireland's high crime rate, according to some Northern politicians.
The new Asbos are to be directed against top criminals and differ from "normal" Asbos targeting vandalism and harassment.
The new behaviour orders were unveiled earlier this week by the British Home Office. They will allow police to impose restrictions on crime lords without taking them to a criminal trial. Those who breach the orders will be liable for a five-year jail sentence.
Each Super Asbo will cost the taxpayer £40,000 (€61,000). This could be doubled if the accused uses Legal Aid to fight the order in court.
Asbos were introduced in Northern Ireland more than two years ago. At the end of last year 29 orders had been handed out. A total of 123,194 crimes were recorded in the North between 2005 and 2006.
A spokesman for Sinn Féin said: "We do not support any Asbos, based on evidence from England that they do not solve anti-social behaviour. There needs to be a ground-based response to the problem. Just giving out these orders doesn't solve the core problem of anti-social behaviour in our society."
Fred Cobain of the Ulster Unionist Party said: "The track record of the Asbo in Northern Ireland does not inspire confidence. The government is too fond of headline-grabbing gimmicks."
The date of introduction in Northern Ireland is dependent on passage of the Serious Crime Bill through Westminster.