The courts also have a new power to sentence offenders to community reparation orders, which ensure that they put something back into the neighbourhood they affected by their behaviour.

Ms Jamieson met city council social work convener Helen Wright and officials from the authority’s criminal justice services department to hear their views on the schemes, and on other projects such as drug treatment and testing orders and community service.

She said these were all key parts of the efforts to tackle crime wherever it exists.

“The Executive is committed to modernising our courts and laws to create a criminal justice service that is designed around the needs of the law-abiding many and which ensures we can take swift, effective action against the law-breaking few.

“One of the areas of greatest concern to the public is anti-social behaviour and the impact this has on their day-to-day lives. The Anti-social Behaviour Act provides range of smart new measures to deal with these individuals.

“I am pleased that two of these — fixed penalty notices and community reparation orders — are being piloted by Tayside Police and by Dundee Sheriff and District Courts.

The minister noted that Tayside was also one of the early adopters of the drug treatment and testing orders, which are meant to encourage offenders to tackle their drug abuse and the crime that stems from it.

Running DTTOs has involved the criminal justice staffs of all three Tayside councils and, to date, the courts have imposed 120 orders.

Ms Jamieson also praised the community service order programme being run in Dundee. It was “well-established and well-respected” and provided a comprehensive range of work placements.

“While each of these schemes deals with very different groups of offenders, from those involved in low-level disorder and vandalism, to those who may be involved in drug-related theft, each of them is designed to provide an effective punishment which fits the crime.

“I want to commend those who have been involved in supporting these schemes and look forward to hearing about the future successes of the two new anti-social behaviour pilots.”

The Anti-social Behaviour Act gives police the power to issued fixed penalty notices for a range of low-level offences committed by anyone aged 16 or over. The aim is to reduce the number of cases which have to be prosecuted, freeing up police officers’ time and the time the courts have to spend on minor cases.

In the first three months of the pilot, Tayside Police issued over 600 notices, giving the offender 28 days to pay £40. It increases to £60 if they don’t meet the deadline and the district court takes up the case.

Community reparation orders apply to anyone aged 12 and over and require offenders to make up in some way for their crime. They have to complete between 10 and 100 hours of unpaid work. Seven orders have so far been put in place in Dundee.