Aberdeen Shrimper
Guest
Below is an article on the new "mosquito ultrasonic noise device" that is apparently only audible to 25 years and under (approx), It omits a high pitch noise that is painful to the ears but supposed to be harmless. It has be designed to disperse young people that are hanging around areas were they cause trouble and vandalism
Good Idea or not???
New weapon in war on rowdies
A 'MOSQUITO' could be used to chase teenagers off the streets of Banff in a new scheme to tackle anti-social behaviour.
But it is not the insect variety that will 'sting' youths and drive them away from trouble hot-spots: it is a futuristic device which emits unpleasant, very high-pitched sounds that only teenagers can hear.
Grampian Police are not revealing exactly where they plan to experiment with the hi-tech gizmo, but it will be piloted in Banff, they say. It could also be set up in other towns and villages.
Human rights issues surrounding the introduction of the gadget, which has been a success in other parts of the country, were brought up at last Wednesday's meeting of Banff and Macduff Community Council.
Community beat officer Bruce Watt confirmed to the 'Journal' that the device was already at Banff Police station.
He explained: "It will be in Banff somewhere. But it's easy enough to take down and put somewhere else. It's not a permanent fixture and it can be used in villages as well.
"Somehow it develops a tone that certain age groups can hear – teen-agers in particular. We are just waiting for word from the Aberdeenshire Council as to what building we can put it onto.
"They have been a success in other parts of the country. We are aware they won't solve things totally. When it goes up, we can access it remotely, or it can go on at certain times of the day.
"If a problem is solved, we can take it down and put it in another location. It has got a remote control so that it can be fixed to come on when people walk past it, although we haven't decided about that yet.
"We want it up and running as quickly as possible; we'll see how it goes."
Constable Watt was unable to give exact details of the device being used in Banff. But versions used successfully in other parts of the country have a range of 15 to 20 metres, and produce unpleasant sensations, caused by certain very high frequencies.
Police Inspector in Banff, Colin Mowat, explained: "In other areas, it has just been put on at appropriate times. The kids are not fully aware of it, and there is no reaction against it. They just move away.
"It is just one of many tools we can use to combat youth disorder."
The introduction of the device was announced at last Wednesday's community council meeting. Chairman Ian Page asked about the human rights of young people. He said: "I heard that there was a case when somebody was taken to court; apparently it infringes the human rights of the child."
A police spokesman at the meeting said that introducing the device in Banff had been delayed as the result of a court case, which had now been disposed of. He said: "Now it has been decided they are a viable device."
There have been continuing problems with young people – sometimes up to 150 of them – hanging around on Low Street, Banff, on Friday and Saturday nights. The High Street has also had its fair share of problems with anti-social behaviour.
The Mosquito, which costs around £500, has been paid for by the Banff and District Community Safety Group.
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Stores hope ultrasonic hum will make nasty kids buzz off
Listen up, all young troublemakers under the age of 25.
Your loitering, graffiti-spraying, vandalism-prone ways are about to get zapped by the Mosquito.
That's the hope of a major Canadian convenience store chain as it installs three Mosquito sonic youth-deterrent devices in B.C. stores over the next week -- two in Richmond and one in Victoria.
The Mosquito emits an unpleasant ultrasonic high-pitched tone that can generally only be heard by people under 25. To them, it sounds like an annoying buzzing insect but older people hear nothing due to natural hearing loss.
The product was developed in the U.K. to disperse crowds of young people and Vancouver-based Dynatrac Systems Canada recently acquired the Canadian distribution rights.
The convenience store doesn't want to publicize its use of the device until it determines its effectiveness.
Dynatrac representative Michael Gibson said several small stores have expressed an interest, along with Granville Street nightclubs and school boards in Saskatchewan.
"Before we signed the distribution agreement, we made sure that it worked so we tested it out ourselves," he said. "Believe me, younger people do find it offensive. My installer puts it on in front of his daughter's room to wake her up in the morning."
Riverside elementary school in Maple Ridge installed a Mosquito near a school courtyard about a year ago and school district secretary-treasurer Don Woytowich said the results have been impressive.
"The courtyard had become a hangout -- with windows being broken and graffiti and partying going on," he said. "We simply haven't had any issues there since [the Mosquito] went up."
The school district paid about $1,000 to buy the unit directly from the U.K. manufacturer last year. It's not activated during school hours and is generally in use between 10 p.m and 6 a.m.
Woytowich said the school district has taken an aggressive position on vandalism prevention and will consider buying other Mosquito units for other schools. He said it fits in well with other tools such as video surveillance and water sprinklers that douse potential vandals.
Gibson says the Mosquito would be a natural tool to disperse crowds of young people at certain public transit locations and he has contacted TransLink but hasn't yet heard back.
TransLink representative Drew Snider said security officials will consider the device. He said Surrey Central SkyTrain station might be considered a logical candidate for the Mosquito but he noted people older than 25 have been troublemakers there.
Snider said TransLink currently uses predatory bird sounds to effectively discourage sparrows and crows from lingering around Brentwood SkyTrain station.
Gibson said it costs about $3 a day to rent a Mosquito unit, which usually have to be replaced after two years as they require special speakers to handle the high-frequency sound.
bconstantineau@png.canwest.com
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Teenagers get hint to buzz off
A new tool in the fight against teenage antisocial behaviour has been making a racket.
Police in Abingdon have been secretly using a 'Mosquito' device outside shops in Reynolds Way for the past six months.
The device, which sends out an irritating buzz only young people can hear, has been used alongside a dispersal order in a bid combat youth crime.
Last year, a survey of local residents showed 50 per cent were too intimidated to go to the shops if teenagers were hanging around outside.
Many of the shops were not aware the Mosquito was in place, but it seems to be having an effect.
Sgt Andy Cranidge, in charge of the neighbourhood team, said: "No one wants to hang around there too long because of the buzzing. It is just an annoying sound designed to push people away to other areas."
The Mosquito is only switched on at certain times when youngsters are hanging around or causing a nuisance.
The device emits a high frequency noise which is only audible to young people.
The ultrasonic tone becomes so annoying it encourages youngsters to move away - and the closer the teenager gets the more effective it is.
'We haven't had any trouble from the kids round here so it must be working' Lee Welch
Sgt Cranidge added: "We do not get people hanging around there as often now. Combined with the dispersal order it has been very effective.
"Police always used to be called down to deal with problems, but we have seen a great reduction in that."
Many of the shops in the Reynolds Way precinct were unaware that the device had been installed. Lee Welch, assistant manager of Taylor's Racing, said: "We didn't even know it was there.
"We haven't had any trouble from the kids round here so it must be working.
"There used to be a gang of teenagers outside who would hurl abuse when you were locking up but now we don't get as much hassle."
Peterson Chung, of Martin's Newsagent, said: "Usually there are some kids hanging around so it's not always working."
Oxfordshire's first Mosquito system was installed at the Westgate Centre in Chipping Norton last November.
Good Idea or not???
New weapon in war on rowdies
A 'MOSQUITO' could be used to chase teenagers off the streets of Banff in a new scheme to tackle anti-social behaviour.
But it is not the insect variety that will 'sting' youths and drive them away from trouble hot-spots: it is a futuristic device which emits unpleasant, very high-pitched sounds that only teenagers can hear.
Grampian Police are not revealing exactly where they plan to experiment with the hi-tech gizmo, but it will be piloted in Banff, they say. It could also be set up in other towns and villages.
Human rights issues surrounding the introduction of the gadget, which has been a success in other parts of the country, were brought up at last Wednesday's meeting of Banff and Macduff Community Council.
Community beat officer Bruce Watt confirmed to the 'Journal' that the device was already at Banff Police station.
He explained: "It will be in Banff somewhere. But it's easy enough to take down and put somewhere else. It's not a permanent fixture and it can be used in villages as well.
"Somehow it develops a tone that certain age groups can hear – teen-agers in particular. We are just waiting for word from the Aberdeenshire Council as to what building we can put it onto.
"They have been a success in other parts of the country. We are aware they won't solve things totally. When it goes up, we can access it remotely, or it can go on at certain times of the day.
"If a problem is solved, we can take it down and put it in another location. It has got a remote control so that it can be fixed to come on when people walk past it, although we haven't decided about that yet.
"We want it up and running as quickly as possible; we'll see how it goes."
Constable Watt was unable to give exact details of the device being used in Banff. But versions used successfully in other parts of the country have a range of 15 to 20 metres, and produce unpleasant sensations, caused by certain very high frequencies.
Police Inspector in Banff, Colin Mowat, explained: "In other areas, it has just been put on at appropriate times. The kids are not fully aware of it, and there is no reaction against it. They just move away.
"It is just one of many tools we can use to combat youth disorder."
The introduction of the device was announced at last Wednesday's community council meeting. Chairman Ian Page asked about the human rights of young people. He said: "I heard that there was a case when somebody was taken to court; apparently it infringes the human rights of the child."
A police spokesman at the meeting said that introducing the device in Banff had been delayed as the result of a court case, which had now been disposed of. He said: "Now it has been decided they are a viable device."
There have been continuing problems with young people – sometimes up to 150 of them – hanging around on Low Street, Banff, on Friday and Saturday nights. The High Street has also had its fair share of problems with anti-social behaviour.
The Mosquito, which costs around £500, has been paid for by the Banff and District Community Safety Group.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Stores hope ultrasonic hum will make nasty kids buzz off
Listen up, all young troublemakers under the age of 25.
Your loitering, graffiti-spraying, vandalism-prone ways are about to get zapped by the Mosquito.
That's the hope of a major Canadian convenience store chain as it installs three Mosquito sonic youth-deterrent devices in B.C. stores over the next week -- two in Richmond and one in Victoria.
The Mosquito emits an unpleasant ultrasonic high-pitched tone that can generally only be heard by people under 25. To them, it sounds like an annoying buzzing insect but older people hear nothing due to natural hearing loss.
The product was developed in the U.K. to disperse crowds of young people and Vancouver-based Dynatrac Systems Canada recently acquired the Canadian distribution rights.
The convenience store doesn't want to publicize its use of the device until it determines its effectiveness.
Dynatrac representative Michael Gibson said several small stores have expressed an interest, along with Granville Street nightclubs and school boards in Saskatchewan.
"Before we signed the distribution agreement, we made sure that it worked so we tested it out ourselves," he said. "Believe me, younger people do find it offensive. My installer puts it on in front of his daughter's room to wake her up in the morning."
Riverside elementary school in Maple Ridge installed a Mosquito near a school courtyard about a year ago and school district secretary-treasurer Don Woytowich said the results have been impressive.
"The courtyard had become a hangout -- with windows being broken and graffiti and partying going on," he said. "We simply haven't had any issues there since [the Mosquito] went up."
The school district paid about $1,000 to buy the unit directly from the U.K. manufacturer last year. It's not activated during school hours and is generally in use between 10 p.m and 6 a.m.
Woytowich said the school district has taken an aggressive position on vandalism prevention and will consider buying other Mosquito units for other schools. He said it fits in well with other tools such as video surveillance and water sprinklers that douse potential vandals.
Gibson says the Mosquito would be a natural tool to disperse crowds of young people at certain public transit locations and he has contacted TransLink but hasn't yet heard back.
TransLink representative Drew Snider said security officials will consider the device. He said Surrey Central SkyTrain station might be considered a logical candidate for the Mosquito but he noted people older than 25 have been troublemakers there.
Snider said TransLink currently uses predatory bird sounds to effectively discourage sparrows and crows from lingering around Brentwood SkyTrain station.
Gibson said it costs about $3 a day to rent a Mosquito unit, which usually have to be replaced after two years as they require special speakers to handle the high-frequency sound.
bconstantineau@png.canwest.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Teenagers get hint to buzz off
A new tool in the fight against teenage antisocial behaviour has been making a racket.
Police in Abingdon have been secretly using a 'Mosquito' device outside shops in Reynolds Way for the past six months.
The device, which sends out an irritating buzz only young people can hear, has been used alongside a dispersal order in a bid combat youth crime.
Last year, a survey of local residents showed 50 per cent were too intimidated to go to the shops if teenagers were hanging around outside.
Many of the shops were not aware the Mosquito was in place, but it seems to be having an effect.
Sgt Andy Cranidge, in charge of the neighbourhood team, said: "No one wants to hang around there too long because of the buzzing. It is just an annoying sound designed to push people away to other areas."
The Mosquito is only switched on at certain times when youngsters are hanging around or causing a nuisance.
The device emits a high frequency noise which is only audible to young people.
The ultrasonic tone becomes so annoying it encourages youngsters to move away - and the closer the teenager gets the more effective it is.
'We haven't had any trouble from the kids round here so it must be working' Lee Welch
Sgt Cranidge added: "We do not get people hanging around there as often now. Combined with the dispersal order it has been very effective.
"Police always used to be called down to deal with problems, but we have seen a great reduction in that."
Many of the shops in the Reynolds Way precinct were unaware that the device had been installed. Lee Welch, assistant manager of Taylor's Racing, said: "We didn't even know it was there.
"We haven't had any trouble from the kids round here so it must be working.
"There used to be a gang of teenagers outside who would hurl abuse when you were locking up but now we don't get as much hassle."
Peterson Chung, of Martin's Newsagent, said: "Usually there are some kids hanging around so it's not always working."
Oxfordshire's first Mosquito system was installed at the Westgate Centre in Chipping Norton last November.
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