A total of 14 people have been issued with warnings for antisocial behaviour since new laws for dealing with nuisance behaviour came into force at the start of the year.
These "behaviour warnings", which are issued by gardaí, are the first step towards seeking an Antisocial Behaviour Order (Asbo) from the courts against a person.
In contrast, gardaí say existing measures for dealing with anti-social behaviour, such as the Public Order Act, are being used hundreds of times a week.
The introduction of Asbos ignited a heated debate last year over whether existing laws dealt with the problem, or if a new regime to deal with antisocial behaviour was necessary.
A spokesman for Minister for Justice Michael McDowell said yesterday the measures had been in place for less than two months and little could be read into the figures.
He added that any serious antisocial behaviour could also be dealt with under criminal legislation, which contains sanctions for a range of offences.
Asbos for adults came into force on January 1st this year, while a separate system of dealing with antisocial behaviour aimed at young people aged 12-18 is due to come into force this Thursday.
It involves a tiered system in which a range of alternatives will be explored before an Asbo is taken out against a child.
A child must first be given a "street warning".
If antisocial behaviour continues, the child's parents will be invited to draw up a "good behaviour contract" with the local Garda superintendent.
If the child continues to behave in an antisocial way, he or she will be referred to the Garda's diversion programme. If a problem still remains, the need for an Asbo may arise.
For children aged 12-14, "good behaviour orders" may be taken out instead of an Asbo. The terms of this order will differ by empowering the court to bind parents to ensure their child stops offending. Such parents may be ordered to undergo parenting courses or seek other forms of help.
Pressure groups such as the Children's Rights Alliance have criticised the new measures and called instead for the full resourcing of the Children's Act.
They say alternatives to detention provided for in the Act, such as community sanctions, are not fully in place because the Government has not resourced them.
Mr McDowell, however, has insisted that Asbos will be a last-resort measure.
He has also pointed to significant differences between the way Asbos may be issued in the Republic and the UK which, he said, would ensure they were used fairly and reasonably.
