Gardaí in Louth have issued a warning to teenagers not to harass people in their homes.
They say that knocking on doors and running away is not a harmless prank or a game and that when it is done repeatedly to the same residents it can be classed as harassment.
The warning was issued on social media following recent reports that elderly people in the Duleek Street area were being intimidated by groups of teenagers.
Gardaí have also appealed to parents to keep a close eye on their children, particularly with brighter evenings approaching, and to ensure they know where they are and what they are doing at all times.
In a statement, Louth Gardaí said that while children may play pranks, behaviour that is continuous and repeatedly directed at an individual becomes harassment, which is a criminal offence. They added that any damage to property, whether reckless or deliberate, is also a crime.
They reiterated their appeal to parents of teenagers to take responsibility for knowing their children’s whereabouts and activities in the evenings.
Gardaí also outlined that they have a range of powers to deal with anti-social behaviour. These include issuing anti social behaviour warnings to children, convening meetings to discuss a child’s behaviour, requesting that a child and their parent or guardian enter into a good behaviour contract, and applying to the courts for an anti social behaviour order, commonly known as an ASBO.
