Reports of anti-social behaviour — from harassment on public transport to intimidation and assault — are prompting concern in communities across Ireland.
Against this backdrop, Jennifer (not her real name) and her partner have been repeatedly targeted at home, enduring everything from eggs thrown at their house to homophobic abuse.
"It has been relentless pretty much since I moved in," Jennifer says as she reflects on the harassment she and her partner have faced.
"It started with bangs on the windows, and then it went to us getting eggs thrown at the front and at the back of the house. That would be multiple times a week. And then the racism and the homophobia started."
Jennifer, who has been with her partner for six years, moved to Ireland earlier this year and says the abuse has tainted what was meant to be a fresh start.
"I feel constantly on edge…There's no escape. There’s nowhere that I feel safe anymore," she said.
Jennifer and her partner live in a town in Leinster, where she says a gang of teenage boys has tormented them.
Whenever Jennifer or her partner step outside, even to walk to the shops or put out the bins, they say they are met with homophobic slurs.
"The most serious and scary incident that happened was just a couple of weeks ago. My partner was coming home from work and there was a group of lads," Jennifer said.
"They were calling her a lot of homophobic slurs. And then it escalated to the point where the comments were really quite aggressive and violent. And it's one thing to have eggs thrown at your house, and it's another to be actually threatened," she added.
"They said to my partner that if she was in Russia, she would be shot and then they shouted that 'all lesbians should die.’
"It's not that we've never experienced homophobia before. We get called names a lot of the time, but it was different. It felt different in that it was violent and there was so much anger in his voice as well. And the reason I know that is because my partner managed to get it on video."
Prime Time has viewed the footage, filmed on a phone, which Jennifer describes as "really scary."
Jennifer said that her experience of living in Ireland has largely been positive.
"All of the adults that I've met have been absolutely lovely. My neighbours are great. My work colleagues are wonderful. But I have experienced a lot of harassment from the groups of teenage lads," she said.
Jennifer says that she has contacted the Gardaí and reported every incident after they happen, but she feels the response has been ineffective.
"Nothing has been done. They would come out to the call, but it would be several hours after the fact. So, by that point, the people that had done it were obviously long gone."
After the homophobic abuse, Jennifer said Gardaí told her they had followed up and would increase patrols in the area.
In a statement issued to Prime Time, An Garda Síochána said the force introduced GardaSAFE - a new Computer Aided Dispatch system - in four garda regions in 2023 "ensuring the public receive the best possible response."
It added that while it "does not comment on third-party remarks," An Garda Síochána is committed to working with and supporting local communities "to alleviate instances of anti-social behaviour."
Jennifer’s experience feeds into a wider debate about how Ireland should respond to anti-social behaviour.
READ: Retailers and communities on the 'chaos' of anti-social behaviour
Speaking in the Dáil earlier this year, Independent TD Paul Gogarty called for a tougher response to anti-social behaviour by young offenders, warning about what he called the "Andrew Tate-ification" of young males — a reference to the influence of controversial online personalities linked to misogyny and aggression.
He told Prime Time: "There are a lot of kids hanging on with the ringleaders who could be discouraged if there were short, sharp consequences straight away."
The Independent TD suggested curfews, fining parents and seizing PlayStations as ways of cracking down on anti-social behaviour.
However, Dr Johnny Connolly from the Centre for Crime, Justice and Victims Studies at the University of Limerick does not think these suggestions are realistic. He said suggestions of punishing or fining parents are "constantly trotted out as a reaction"
"Where you have a very small minority of young people who are persistent offenders, generally, there's a strong connection between disadvantage, social exclusion, and a range of other social factors. So, in those contexts, parents, families and young people need a lot of support."
For Jennifer, though, the political debate feels distant. What matters most is feeling safe in her own home.
"Your home is supposed to be where you feel safe. I just want to live in peace," she said.
Reporter Conor McMorrow and producer Genevieve Brennan’s report ‘Law and Disorder’ was broadcast on the 25 September edition of Prime Time and is available on the RTÉ Player.
