A device, called the Mosquito, emits a high-frequency pulsing sound that can be heard by people younger than 20 and almost nobody older than 30. The
sound is designed to so irritate young people, so that after a few minutes, they cannot stand it and go away. It works because the body's
ability to detect the Sonic Deterrent's
frequency, diminishes after 20,
adults are completely immune.
It sounds to
youngsters like a demented insect or a very badly-played violin. It annoys teenagers so intensely
they have to clutch their ears. Eventually they can stand it no longer and have to move on. So far the device has only been tested in one place - the local Spar in Barry (a great place to find hoards of chavs). According to the shop owner the results were instantaneous and there are
now no layabouts to be found.
Howard Stapleton, a businessman and former electronics apprentice at British Aerospace, who was sick of youths hanging around outside his
shop, came up with the idea. Police are backing the Sonic Teenager Deterrent, nicknamed the Mosquito because of its sound.
The £622 black box, which can be attached to the outside wall of shops, offices and homes, sends out 80-decibel bursts of pulsing sounds at up to 16khz.
Working in his bedroom in Merthyr Tydfil, and using his four children as guinea pigs, he came up with a prototype of his device and asked the local shop to test it.
'I got it
so that only my kids hated it and my fiancée and I were completely unperturbed, 'he said.'
We put up the prototype outside the store and almost immediately people stopped congregating.
'The beauty of it is
that the noise does not have to be loud, just pitched at the right level which affects teenagers.'
Further News:
Mosquito Travels Across Britain
The mosquito device emitting a sound wave which is designed to drive
young troublemakers away from a problem area of Swindon, Wiltshire, England
has been hailed as a success. The 'Mosquito' sonic deterrent device was
installed by the Wyvern Theatre in an attempt to stop groups of up to 100
youngsters from gathering around Theatre Square.
Crime Reduction Officer Bob Walton elaborated further, 'Effectively, it's
a transmitter which sends out a specialised frequency noise which according
to the manufacture is particularly audible to young people under the age of
25.' He added, 'I'm in my fifties and when it's turned on all I can hear is
a very faint buzz. But I understand from young people who have been exposed
to the noise, it is very annoying.'
»
Swindon's anti-social behaviour co-ordinator M/S Cheri Wright says it is
working well. Will and Guy have been told, 'We had a meeting with local
retailers around here - after it had been installed for around three weeks -
and feedback was really positive. Everyone was saying there has been a
marked reduction in criminal damage and problems with the shops, so they've
really welcomed it.' The mosquito, pictured here, has been used successfully
in the USA and in Australia as far as we can establish.
It has been suggested to us that the teenagers concerned are not taking
this lying down and are fighting back. Apparently they have learned how to
make the mosquito noise into a cell phone ringtone and now message each
other secretly in their classrooms. We do not know if this is accurate but
we will bring you an update should we hear anything else.
The UK government has rejected calls to ban a device that uses a
high-pitched noise to disperse teenage gangs. Police minister Nick Herbert
said it was up to councils dealing with anti-social behaviour to decide
whether or not to use the Mosquito, although the position could be
reconsidered if there was evidence young people's health was being damaged,
he added.
A report for the Council of Europe last week called for a ban, suggesting
its use may breach human rights law. Mosquitos are generally only heard
by people under the age of 25. Campaigners say they should be banned
on the grounds that they unfairly cause discomfort to young ears which
appears exactly what they are designed to do.
Pink Lights Show Your Spots
Pink lights designed to show up teenagers' spots have been installed to
stop them gathering in a Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England, housing
estate.
Layton Burroughs Residents' Association bought the crazy invention in a bid to
curb anti-social behaviour we can report. The lights, said to have a calming
influence but which also highlight skin blemishes such as acne, have been
installed in three underpasses [subways] on the estate.
Tony Gelsthorpe, chairman of the Layton Burroughs Residents' Association,
stated, 'We've had problems with underage drinking, drug dealing,
anti-social behaviour and general intimidation. I was a little bit dubious
about the pink lights at first but it's done the trick.'
Some question the use of the light saying, 'Anything that aims to
embarrass people out of an area is not on.'
Will and Guy have the feeling that this man might work better to repel
noisy, graffiti daubing and irksome teenagers who have been annoying members
of the public in Christchurch, New Zealand, than the mosquito mentioned
above. We realise many will disagree with this opinion!
This man is world famous singer, songwriter and entertainer, Barry
Manilow, from the USA. It appears that you either love him or hate him.
Christchurch Central City Business Association manager, Mr P. Lonsdale, is
to play his music to these recalcitrant teenagers in the areas in which they
gather in the hope that they will dislike the music so much they will move
along and not bother local members of the public.
Please let us know if it works.
Mosquitos, Pink Lights and now Manilow - whatever next ask Will and
Guy?
A shopkeeper from Gloucestershire, England, has cut litter in her village
by 40% by writing children's names on their sweet wrappers. Yvonne Froud,
52, marks each wrapper, crisp packet and drinks container with the name of
the buyer using an indelible marker.
Litter louts who drop their rubbish are shown the evidence and
temporarily banned from her shop or told to go on a litter-pick, Will and
Guy have discovered.
Ollie Williams, aged eight, informed us, 'I have to put the packet in the
bin because it has my name on it.'
The two-week scheme has been so successful Ms Fround says she might
extend it to adult shoppers at her post office and stores in Joys Green. She
reported, 'I was so disgusted by the litter I had to do something about it.
Now if we find packets around the village we know who they belong to. I will
do it with adults if they start littering too.'
A Chinese city has introduced a new street-cleaning machine, composed of a
tractor and more than a dozen bamboo brooms. The street cleaner, spotted by
tourists in Qinghuangdao city, Hebei province, China, is a great source of
amusement. 'I couldn't believe what I was seeing, but it was really cleaning the
street,' laughed a passer-by.
More than a dozen brooms are attached to a machine able to turn clockwise or
counter-clockwise. The 'machine' is only able to move litter and dust to the
side of the street, where another person is employed to clear it later, reports
the Beijing News.
Will and Guy ponder, could the street-cleaning machine be used to clear those
pesky teenagers from hanging around street corners?
This successful invention motivated Will to search for some silly inventions which
could never work but may make you smile. You could think up some more 'silly inventions' and send them in to the site.
Hat with sucker to keep head up
Submarine with a sunroof
Motorbike with air conditioning
Left handed pencil
Water-proof towel
A book on how to read
Inflatable dart boards
Waterproof tea bags
Helicopter with ejector seat
Wooden barbecue
Chocolate tea pot
Solar panel torch
Tent with a doorbell and security camera
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