Tralee Town Council has agreed on a draft anti-social behaviour policy in an attempt to combat unacceptable behaviour in its housing estates.
The "decisive" strategy to eliminate anti-social behaviour does not propose to specify the number of warnings before tenants may be evicted or where persons can be excluded from entering estates.
Town clerk Michael Scannell told Monday night's council meeting that he had taken legal advice on this and was told not to include a specific number of warnings.
Some incidents could be mere annoyances and a number might occur without the council having to proceed further; others could be of such a serious nature that even one incident merited the ultimate sanction of seeking an order from the courts of exclusion or eviction.
Applicants for housing involved in anti-social behaviour would be excluded from the housing lists for "a period of at least two years", the draft policy states.
"The main purpose of the policy is to have safe and secure housing estates for residents so they could enjoy peace and quiet," Mr Scannell said.
Labour councillor Miriam McGillycuddy called for a proper appeals system and was assured that this would be the case.
The Kerry town is one of 22 towns and cities where the new joint policing committees provided for in the Garda Síochána Act 2005 are being established.
The strategy proposes to tackle drug-dealing as well as "any significant or persistent danger, injury, damage, loss or fear to residents", including threats or harassment.
The plan is to be published as concerns about anti-social behaviour in the town have reached new heights.
Tralee Chamber of Commerce member David O'Brien, who runs a restaurant and takeaway in Tralee, said yesterday that there was a persistent problem with gangs of teenagers bullying businesses and others in the town centre. People were being intimidated into not reporting them, he claimed.
Garda Supt Pat Sullivan accepted that there was a problem with a group of teenagers, but pointed to an absence of parental responsibility.
When these teenagers were arrested, it was often the case that their parents were not available or would refuse to collect them from the Garda station in Tralee, he said.
When gardaí brought very young teenage offenders back to their homes late at night, very often no parent was at home to receive them, Supt Sullivan pointed out.