The creators of a pioneering device that uses high-frequency sound to stop teenagers congregating outside shops, schools and railway stations reacted angrily today to news that the government-appointed Children's Commissioner wants to see it banned.

 

The £500 Mosquito device has been installed at some 3,500 locations across the country since it first went on sale in January 2006. It emits an irritating, high-pitched sound that can only be heard by children and young people up into their early twenties, forcing them to move on.

 

But Sir Albert Aynsley-Green, the Children's Commissioner for England appointed to represent the views of the country’s 11 million children, has set up a campaign – called Buzz Off – that is calling for the Mosquito to be banned on grounds that it infringes the rights of young people.

 

“These devices are indiscriminate and target all children and young people, including babies, regardless of whether they are behaving or misbehaving,” Sir Al told the BBC. “The use of measures such as these are simply demonising children and young people, creating a dangerous and widening divide between the young and the old.”

 

He added: "This device is a quick fix. It's not tackling the root of the problem and it's indiscriminate."

 

The campaign has won the support of human rights groups including Liberty, whose director, Shami Chakrabarti, described it as a "sonic weapon directed against children and young people".

 

"What type of society uses a low-level sonic weapon on its children? Imagine the outcry if a device was introduced that caused blanket discomfort to people of one race or gender, rather than to our kids," she said.

 

But Simon Morris, commercial director of Compound Security Systems, which created and markets the Mosquito, today defended it and questioned the motivation of the campaign to ban it.

 

"Our opinion – and unless Ms Chakrabarti has managed to change the legislation we still have free speech – is that Liberty is being more discriminatory in this campaign than anyone using the Mosquito," he said. "They are not willing to consider the victims of anti-social behaviour."

 

The device works by emitting a pulse at 17-18 kilohertz that switches on and off four times a second for up to 20 minutes. Teenagers can pick it up through minute hairs in their inner ears – but those hairs tend to die off by the time they reach 25.

 

Source : Sunday Times

 

 

Is this device a deterrant or a danger to youngsters?

This is a good deterrant for young people.

I do agree that it could divide the young and the old and their are far more rooted problems with the 'hoodie culture' which need to be addressed.

 

However this is a good way of keeping kids away from certain areas, in particular crime hotspots.

People should be able to get a pint of milk at 10pm without kids hanging around outside shops either asking for adults to get them fags or booze. Just standing there can be intimidating to people of all ages.

 

This scheme would be better complimented, however, if there was more for kids to do. At a younger age, myself and friends did find ourselves hanging around on streets because there was no-where for us to go. Teenagers don't want to stay in, they want to go out in the evenings with their friends and younger teenagers need a place to go.

I like the idea of it but it should only be applied on occasions where lawlessness and unruly behaviour is actually occuring, it is not fair to target a group of kids just bored and not breaking any laws, if they are acting chavvy and smashing bus shelters or doing graffiti or shouting noisily in the streets and so on then use it but if there is no misbehaviour going on seems unfair

It's a completely dreadful idea. This device cannot discriminate between young people who want to go shopping and young people out to cause trouble. I'm far too old to be able to hear it but if it had been around when I was a teenager I would have vowed to boycott any retailers who used the device even after I was able to hear it.

 

Maybe some of the people who support this device would change their mind when their dog is upset by it.

It's a completely dreadful idea. This device cannot discriminate between young people who want to go shopping and young people out to cause trouble. I'm far too old to be able to hear it but if it had been around when I was a teenager I would have vowed to boycott any retailers who used the device even after I was able to hear it.

 

Maybe some of the people who support this device would change their mind when their dog is upset by it.

 

Spot on Suedehead.. It's frankly a disgusting idea. And you're correct when you say that it cannot possibly discriminate between young people just wanting to go into the shop to buy a loaf of bread or a newspaper and the yobs who want to cause trouble..... And I would say also that by the device having an upper age limit of ADULTS in their early 20s, then indeed it does breach adult human rights, which is totally unnacceptable..

 

You want to know what the best deterrent is to yobbish behaviour...? Simple really - MORE COPPERS ON THE BEAT, PATROLLING STREETS ON A REGULAR BASIS, MOVING KNOWN TROUBLE MAKERS ALONG....

 

Pretty obvious when you see it in capital letters innit....?

People should be able to get a pint of milk at 10pm .

 

So, shouldn't a 19 or 20 year old ADULT be able to buy their pints of milk or packets of fags without being victim of a sonic attack then....? Not to mention totally innocent babies, toddlers and infants who will likely suffer distress because of these devices....

the mosquito doesnt solve the problem though, merely moves it on...