Anti-teen Mosquito set to be banned by council swat team

Published on Monday 23 June 2008 11:22

EDINBURGH is set to become the first place in Scotland to ban a controversial device which emits a high-pitched sound to disperse groups of youths.

The Mosquito exploits youngsters' ability to hear very high frequencies, something which declines as people hit their 20s.

Around 3500 of the devices are estimated to be in use across the UK in areas such as parks and shopping centres.

It is not known how many may be around Edinburgh, but deputy education leader David Beckett said the proposed ban would send a message to would-be buyers that it is not welcome in the Capital.

But the company which sells the Mosquito today said the council cannot stop independent traders using the invention.

Councillor Beckett, the SNP representative for the city centre, has submitted a motion to this week's full council meeting, which is expected to be approved.

He said: "While antisocial behaviour from youths is a real concern in some areas, to use such an indiscriminate approach to tackle this problem really is an example of using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

"A far more serious problem is the health implications. Imagine two mothers standing outside a shop having a chat, with their babies in prams – they would have absolutely no idea that their babies' hearing is being damaged by a nearby Mosquito device.

"It is important that we send a strong message that Edinburgh Council will not tolerate their use and will take any action possible to prevent their introduction."

The council can ban the devices from its own land – such as parks and schools – but a city-wide ban would require the co-operation of Lothian and Borders Police.

Scotland's Children's Commissioner, Kathleen Marshall, recently called for a nationwide ban, and Alyn Smith MEP has signed a written declaration calling for an EU-wide ban.

Sabina Frediani, of human rights organisation Liberty, said: "Edinburgh Council would send a positive message to young people by banning the Mosquito. Councils across the country should follow its lead by engaging with and respecting young people rather than unfairly targeting them with this offensive sonic weapon."

But the Association of Convenience Stores said the devices are useful against antisocial youths.

Simon Morris, of makers Compound Security Systems, added: "The device isn't an infringement on human rights – top human rights lawyers have said there is no conflict with the Act. Any ban in Edinburgh will only relate to local authority properties – the council can't ban shopkeepers, who will continue to use the Mosquito."

The noise certainly annoys …our aged hacks

THE Evening News decided to road test the Mosquito alarms on Capital streets – but only came back with sore ears.

The system is meant to be powered from the mains but for the purpose of the test, we rewired it to run off a battery. Whether this affected its performance is unknown.

The mosquito's high-pitched noise reportedly helps disperse groups of youngsters by operating on a frequency which only affects under-25s.

Rolling-up to a youth club in Leith, there were half a dozen likely guinea pigs. But the teenagers chatted to us, seemingly oblivious to the piercing alarm just 10ft away.

Told about it, they were confident it wouldn't annoy them in the slightest, adding that they probably wouldn't hear it over their iPods. For the adults present, however, the sound became unbearable.

We next took the box out on to the streets of Pennywell, where we quickly spotted a group of youths hanging around a street corner. Bravely hiding the device under the car, it was set off in anticipation that they would soon scarper.

An hour later, the youths were still happily chatting on the street corner, having not batted an eyelid at the noise. For the intrepid Evening News investigators, however, the ringing in the ears would continue long into the night.