Troublemakers and hooligans could be forced by the courts to keep away from certain areas of Northern Ireland under proposed new legislation to tackle anti-social behaviour.
The criminal justice minister, Mr John Spellar, announced proposals to introduce anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs), which apply in certain parts of Britain, and which would allow the courts to ban anti-social elements from parts of the North.
"Anti-social behaviour causes fear and anxiety in the community and the government is pledged to tackling the menace at every level. This consultation process puts forward a package of measures for public consultation to combat neighbourhood disorder," said Mr Spellar.
The proposals also involve acceptable behaviour contracts (ABCs), which would be pre-court warnings to people involved in vandalism and other anti-social behaviour. These would also apply to parents of those suspected of offences and would be a precursor to court action.
"ABCs are non-statutory and may be a sufficient warning to people involved in anti-social behaviour," said Mr Spellar.
The Ulster Unionist MP Mr Roy Beggs said he was convinced the proposed legislation would be effective. "I think there is a great deal of encouraging evidence about how such measures have affected anti-social areas in a number of countries. We think that the new framework will work," he said.
The Northern Ireland Housing Executive also welcomed the proposals. Chief executive Mr Paddy McIntyre said the legislation would complement the current remedies tackling trouble on housing estates.
