Battle In Britain Over Sonar-Blast Device That Chases Away Children
LONDON (AP) - England’s commissioner for children and a civil liberties group joined in on a campaign Tuesday to ban high-frequency devices intended to drive misbehaving children away from shops and other areas.
The so-called “Mosquito” device emits high-frequency noise which is audible—and annoying—to young ears, but generally not heard by people over 20.
“This device is a quick fix that does not tackle the root cause of the problem and it is indiscriminate,” English Children’s Commissioner Al Aynsley-Green said.
The campaigners claim that about 3,500 of the devices, made by a Welsh company, are in use.
Aynsley-Green said in an interview with British Broadcasting Corp. radio that the devices do not tackle the real problem, which is that children have no place to gather other than on the streets.
“I think it is a powerful symptom of what I call the malaise at the heart of our society,” he said.
“I’m very concerned about what I see to be an emerging gap between the young and the old, the fears, the intolerance, even the hatred, of the older generation toward the young.”
Shami Chakrabarti, director of the civil rights group Liberty, supported the campaign.
“Imagine the outcry if a device was introduced that caused blanket discomfort to people of one race or gender, rather than to our kids,” Chakrabarti said. “The ‘Mosquito’ has no place in a country that values its children and seeks to instill them with dignity and respect.”
The Mosquito’s inventor, Howard Stapleton, has called for agreement about guidelines for using the devices.
“We tell shopkeepers to use it when they have a problem and I would be more than happy to introduce a contract which stipulates to shopkeepers how it can be used,” Stapleton was quoted as telling the Western Mail newspaper.
“People talk about infringing human rights but what about the human rights of the shopkeeper who is seeing his business collapse because groups of unruly teenagers are driving away his customers?”
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the rot in Britain is showing up all over
do you think when the shopkeepers get home that their fat and psychopathic wives would thrash them, within inches of their lives?
February 12th, 2008 at 4:22 amFunny they call it the Mosquito. There’s a Toronto radio station, CFNY, 102.1 that said they broadcasted a sound with their signal that they claimed repelled mosquitoes. They stopped saying that about the early 90s. I wonder if the unintended consequence was that the station was repelling part of their intended audience. I listened from about 85 to 03, but, then I was older.
February 12th, 2008 at 5:29 amSteve in NC
The rot in Britain? How do you come to that conclusion?
It’s perfectly straightforward debate about how to curb anti-social behaviour without infringing civil liberties.
February 12th, 2008 at 5:59 amKenneth Robert Livingstone
incredible levels of surveillance on roadways, internet, phone, walking down street
acceptance of sharia law in a ‘democracy’
political correctness to the point of submission
February 12th, 2008 at 6:38 amLondon Calling
Are there No Loitering laws in London (England)? Because the “youth” are breaking them.
What would you have the store-owners do? I am sure they began with trying to reason with and dissuad them from congregating around their businesses. These people pay taxes that are supposed to provide civil order and protection for their property. Obviously that’s not happening.
I’m not defending the device. However, I am trying to point out exactly who IS the VICTIM here … and it is not the crowds of “youth”.
February 12th, 2008 at 6:49 amSteve in NC
“Ken Livingstone” - Grrrrrrrrr
“incredible levels of surveillance on roadways, internet, phone, walking down street” - My pet hate, actually. Outrageous!
“acceptance of sharia law in a ‘democracy’” - Honestly Steve, there must be some seriously bollocks in the US media about the UK. When the Archbishop of Canterbury said recently that the introduction of Sharia Law was ” … unavoidable” the whole country shot him down in flames. Every newspaper, every TV and radio station and every commentator was against him. He was criticized by his predecessor, Lord Carey, large parts of the Church of England and even the British Muslims were against him. I saw one interview on TV with a woman in a hijab saying that they didn’t want Sharia as they were perfectly happy with British law where everyone was equal. We don’t have a ‘democracy’, we have a Democracy.
“political correctness to the point of submission” - see previous answer!
February 12th, 2008 at 7:35 amdrillanwr
Interesting thoughts, thank you. This is a typical debate in the UK.
February 12th, 2008 at 7:46 amMy claim to fame - I was an extra on the film “The Wall”.
February 12th, 2008 at 8:25 amLondon Calling
Interesting, yes … But reality in a civilized society.
Laws are put into place to keep order for everyone … to ward off, especially, civil anarchy, and to protect the rights of everyone. They are recognized boundaries that equalize all citizens.
Now, stopping and chatting for a spell in front of someone’s shop/store is harmless. After all, it is the public venue. However, consistent and routine “gathering” day in and out, in spite of being made aware of the infraction is, in and of itself, the seeds of anarchy. How would any of these “youth” feel if groups of unwanted people just hung out near their house(s) everyday, even after being asked and prodded into moving along?
February 12th, 2008 at 8:32 amSee how good y’alls ears still are heh
http://www.freemosquitoringtones.org/
http://www.compoundsecurity.co.uk/teenage_control_products.html
February 12th, 2008 at 8:47 amHi drillanwr
I agree with everything you have to say on this, but the difficult to attain “Gold Standard” that we should reach for here is to not just use it indiscriminately against all youth, good or bad.
Maybe it’s just the English hyperactive sense of fair play, but having it on constantly is like passing a law that sets up no-go areas for anyone under 25.
I think they are just searching for a way to get the required result for the shopkeeper without including (literally!) innocent bystanders.
February 12th, 2008 at 9:07 amMy claim to fame - I was an extra on the film “The Wall”.
I was an extra on the A-Team!!! Mr. T for POTUS.
February 12th, 2008 at 9:53 amReagan T, I’m 60 but I hear like a 50 year old.
February 12th, 2008 at 11:27 amRojoNixon
But what would happen to Air Force 1? “I aint going on no plane”.
PS … I had to google POTUS …
February 12th, 2008 at 12:21 pm>London Calling
>But what would happen to Air Force 1? “I aint going on no >plane”.
Dick Cheney would have to slip him a “Mickey”. Or, we could re-commission the USS Missouri for over seas trips(gold anchors and chains). Could’nt you just see the A-Team Van in a motorcade?
Bill O’Reilly: “President T, what is your prediction for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad if he continues to pursue nuclear weapons?”
President T: “I pitty the fool! My prediction for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad? PAIN”
The world would have to respect us. There’s no one else like him.
February 12th, 2008 at 12:56 pm