Addressing anti-social behaviour requires a collaborative inter-agency and community based approach. While Anti-Social Behaviour Warnings and Anti-Social Behaviour Orders provide a response to the behaviour of an individual, they do not address the reasons behind the behaviour. The newly established Community Safety Partnerships can potentially provide a collaborative approach which may assist in identifying gaps as perceived by each stakeholder in the local area.
In terms of the legislation available to An Garda Síochána, Anti-Social Behaviour Warnings and Anti-Social Behaviour Orders are legislated for in the Criminal Justice Act 2006. The legislation is outlined in Part 11of the Act for adults and in Part 13 for children. These allow members of An Garda Síochána to issue Anti-Social Behaviour Warnings to adults and children and allows for senior members of An Garda Síochána to apply for Anti-Social Behaviour Orders before the District Court. A Senior member of An Garda Síochána means a member of An Garda Síochána not below the rank of Superintendent.
The Criminal Law and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026 amends the Criminal Justice Act 2006 and the Children Act 2002 to reduce the minimum rank of Garda that may apply to court for anti-social behaviour orders in respect of adults and children from Superintendent to Inspector. This will bring increased flexibility to the making of applications for such orders. The Bill was published on 9 January 2026 and the Dáil Second Stage debate on the Bill took place on 22 January 2026.
