Noisy neighbours, drunk and disorderlies and others who make a nuisance of themselves will, from March 1, be given a note on the spot by police officers inviting them to pay up for their misdemeanours.

If they don’t pay within the given period, they will be reported for prosecution and may end up being punished more severely by the courts.

The measures are part of the new powers given to police forces throughout the country from today by the Anti-Social Behaviour Act.

Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson, speaking in the Scottish Parliament today, said the measures will help communities stand up to the scourge of anti-social behaviour.

Tayside Chief Constable John Vine, who is chairman of the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland General Policing Standing Committee, said this afternoon his force had been chosen to pilot fixed penalty notices for minor criminals.

The measures will operate in the same way as fixed penalty notices are issued to minor traffic offenders and will, he believes, be a useful extra weapon in the police’s armoury.

He explained, “I believe it will bring about rapid justice, reduce bureaucracy, save court time and give our officers a quicker turn-around time so that they can be back out on the beat instead of being stuck in the police station filling out forms or waiting to give evidence in court.

“Officers, when they find evidence of minor crime will issue one of these notices, either on the spot or after the criminals have spent a night in the cells.

“The notice will give them the option of paying up within the given period of seven days.

“If they don’t they will be reported for prosecution and they may end up being made to pay an awful lot more by the courts.

“We think many people who receive these notices will realise it is better for them to take this option than to be prosecuted.”

Mr Vine said Tayside Police were in discussion with the three local authorities — Dundee, Angus and Perth — about how to use the new powers against noisy neighbours and other types of environmental crime.

It was, he said, one of the biggest complaints from law-abiding people who couldn’t enjoy the peace and quiet of their own homes because of the actions of their neighbours.

Mr Vine was confident the new powers would force noisy neighbours and others whose actions offended those they lived alongside to put their houses in order.

The Anti-Social Behaviour Act also allows police to issue Anti-Social Behaviour Orders for under 16s, disperse groups who are causing a disturbance and close premises thought to be causing a public nuisance or to be the scene of criminal activity.

The ASBOs would be used against juveniles who offend persistently and who have defied the efforts of the Children’s Panel to make them mend their ways.

Mr Vine explained, “If we had evidence against such a person we would go to the court to be granted an ASBO against him or her.

“The ASBO would lay down conditions — perhaps to do with time or location — which would restrict the offender’s liberty.

“If we then found the person outside when they should be indoors, or in a place away from where the order specifies they have to remain, then we will instantly arrest them.

“The ASBO order can also impose conditions about the clothes offenders can wear so that they can be easier for ourselves to identify.

“This has been used in England against young offenders who were in the habit of covering their faces, and it was very useful in restricting their movement.

“ASBOs can also be used along with tagging orders to the same effect.”

The Tayside chief constable said the power to disperse groups, to stop young tearaways from gathering outside shops and posing a nuisance to the public, was another measure now at police forces’ disposal, but in Tayside he didn’t want it to be used in too heavy handed a way.

“We could stop people gathering in a place by declaring it out of bounds to them, but I would be disappointed if we found ourselves processing this type of order all of the time,” he considered.

“There are other means already at our disposal, like speaking to them, taking their names, reminding local shopkeepers that they shouldn’t sell alcohol to these youngsters, that we would prefer to use.

“It would be only as a last resort that we would use an order to disperse groups.”

Mr Vine said the problem of teenage crime in Dundee should be seen in context. “There are about 25,000 children in education in the city and we probably have about 70 of them who are persistent offenders, but these 70 can cause mayhem if they are not brought under control.”

Speaking at the Scottish Parliament today, Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson said, “When we consulted on our proposals to deal with the problem of anti-social behaviour it was clear that we had struck a chord with the ordinary, hard-working people of Scotland.

“Decent people had had enough of the kind of behaviour that brings misery to lives and which knocks the stuffing out of a community’s confidence. They wanted action.

“We listened to those concerns and we acted on them. By passing the Anti-Social Behaviour Bill in June, the Parliament sent out a clear message that enough was enough.

“Anti-social behaviour is a problem — but my message to hard-working people across the country is a positive one.

“Anti-social behaviour need not be tolerated. The law is on your side. The Executive is on your side. Together with your support we can help deliver a safer, stronger Scotland.”