The Mosquito

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The Mosquito or Mosquito alarm (marketed as the Beethoven in France and the Swiss-Mosquito in Switzerland) is an electronic device, used for solving loitering problems, which emits an annoying sound with a high frequency. The newest version of the device, launched late in 2008, has two frequency settings, one of approximately 17.4 kHz that can generally be heard only by people under the age of 25, and another at 8 kHz that can be heard by most people. The sound pressure ranges from 85 to 94 decibels (dB).^[1] The sound can typically only be heard by people below 25 years of age, as the ability to hear high frequencies deteriorates in humans with age (a phenomenon known as presbycusis).

The device is marketed as a safety and security tool for preventing youths from congregating in specific areas. As such, it is promoted to reduce anti-social behaviour such as loitering, graffiti, vandalism, drug abuse, drug distribution, and violence. In the UK, over 3,000 have been sold, mainly for use outside shops and near transport hubs.^[2] The device is also sold in Australia, France, Denmark, Italy, Canada and the USA.^[3]

The Mosquito has attracted controversy on the basis of human rights. Critics say that it discriminates against young people and infringes their human rights, while supporters argue that making the Mosquito illegal would infringe the human rights of shopkeepers who suffer business losses when "unruly teenagers" drive away their customers.^[4] Mosquito distributors have said that they keep standards to ensure that the device is not abused, and Howard Stapleton who invented the device has asked European governments to legislate guidelines governing its use.^[3]

[edit] History

The Mosquito was invented by Howard Stapleton in 2005, and was originally tested in Barry, South Wales, where it was successful in reducing teenagers loitering near a grocery store.^[5]

The Mosquito was released into the mainstream market in 2006, through Stapleton's company Compound Security Solutions.^[6] The current device has 2 settings: the high frequency sound targeted at youth and another sound that can be heard by everyone. The range of the sound is 140 feet (43 m) with the a sound baffle, and 200 feet (61 m) without. It requires a 24vDC or 15vAC power supply.

A device installed in a Spar shop in Caerleon Road in Newport^[7] was banned after three months by the Newport Community Safety Partnership, a partnership set up to meet the requirements of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, with members including Newport City Council, Gwent Police, Newport Local Health Board, South Wales Fire Service, representatives of Customs and Excise, and the Welsh Assembly Government. Despite the ban, another Spar shop in Newport installed the device. A Newport Community Safety Partnership spokesman said: "Any view expressed by the Partnership does not stop any business or private company from purchasing these devices. They must ensure these systems comply with the law." ^[8]

In February 2008, in response to a major national campaign launched by the Children’s Commissioner for England,^[9] Liberty and the National Youth Agency, the government issued a statement insisting that "'Mosquito alarms are not banned and the government has no plans to ban them".^[4]

[edit] Awards

The Mosquito won the Ig Nobel for Peace in 2006. The Ig Nobels celebrate the quirkier side of serious scientific endeavour, honouring "achievements that first make people laugh, and then make them think".^[10]

[edit] Health effects

The German Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health stated in a report on The Mosquito, entitled "Use of ultrasonic noise channels not entirely safe":

The results of the examination are now available. The auditors were not able to certify this device as completely safe.

The risk to the target group of teenagers and young adults is relatively low. They can leave the area when they hear the sound. On the other hand small children and infants are especially at risk, due to lengthy exposure to the sound, because the adults themselves do not perceive the noise. Moreover, the ultrasound affects not only hearing. Disruption of the equilibrium senses, as well as other extra-aural effects are well known. With the sound levels that can be reached by the device, the onset of dizziness, headache and impairment is to be expected. This is not the limit of the total risks to safety and health.^[11]

[edit] Support of the Mosquito

The Mosquito has received support and endorsements from municipalities, school districts, property management companies, convenience stores and other organizations.^[12] Rochdale Safer Communities Partnership said the borough was committed to the continued use of the Mosquito:

"We feel totally justified in deploying Mosquito devices in the borough of Rochdale to give the community respite in cases of acute anti-social behaviour and youth nuisance," she said. "We use the devices when there are large groups of young people making life a problem for residents and businesses, as we are very keen not to let problems of anti-social behaviour escalate." ^[13]

The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) also supports the usage of the device,^[13] and so does British Retail Consortium (BRC), stating that "Not all young people are involved in violence, but given that some retail staff are facing a level of insolence [from teenagers] they have to have the option of doing what they can to protect themselves. They are entitled to discourage threatening groups from hanging around or in their shops."^[14]

At the Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows school district in British Columbia, Canada, the device has been credited with lowering exterior vandalism at one school by about 40%.^[15]

[edit] Opposition

Opposition categorizes it as an indiscriminate weapon which infringes several rights, such as the "dignity of a people" category, namely the young.

A UK campaign called "Buzz off" is calling for The Mosquito to be banned.^[16] Shami Chakrabarti, director of Liberty, has claimed that the sound is "untested [and] unregulated" and that it can be a "sonic weapon directed against children and young people." Albert Aynsley-Green, the Children’s Commissioner for England, has criticised the devices for indiscriminately targetting all children and babies regardless of their behaviour. He describes such measures as "demonising children and young people", and creating a "dangerous and widening divide" between the young and the old.^[17]

Both Albert Aynsley-Green and Shami Chakrabarti have been criticised for opposing the Mosquito.^{[18][clarification needed]}

[edit] Teen Buzz ringtone

Some adolescents have found the once annoying sound can be used as a tool, and turned it into a mobile phone ringtone. This prevents disciplinary actions that may be imposed by teachers hearing their phone ring during class.^[19] This ringtone became informally known as "Teen Buzz",^[20] and has since been sold commercially.

[edit] Legal status

[edit] Europe

Liberty has stated that, in their opinion, the device may violate sections 8 and 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights.^[21]

In Belgium, a resolution was passed by the House in June 2008 asking the government to take all necessary measures to prohibit the use of devices like the Mosquito on Belgian territory.^[22]

Elsewhere, campaigners and authorities in many countries have stated that they believe the device to breach human rights^[21] and may even constitute assault.^[23]

In September 2008, Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP moved a motion to the European Parliament to ban the use of the Mosquito. It failed to get enough signatures from MEPs to proceed to a full debate^[24][25].

[edit] France

The legality of the device has been tested in the French courts, where the Tribunal de Grande Instance de Saint-Brieuc prohibited the use of The Mosquito within its municipality, and ordered a private individual to pay 2,000 euros compensation after operating the device outside their house.^[26]

[edit] Republic of Ireland

Under the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act, 1997, anyone who "directly or indirectly applies force to or causes an impact on the body of another... without the consent of the other" (force including "application of [any] form of energy"), is guilty of committing assault. This issue has been raised in relation to the Mosquito device by Ireland's Ombudsman for Children.^[23]

[edit] United Kingdom

The manufacturers claim the tones are broadcast at 75 dB,^{[citation needed]} meaning that the product falls within the government's auditory-safety limits, although the German news source Heise reported the device emits 85 dB.^[21] The government of the United Kingdom issued a statement in 2008 stating that "'Mosquito alarms are not banned and the government has no plans to ban them".^[4][27]

The county of Kent has chosen not to allow the usage of the Mosquito on council-owned buildings.^[28]

Liberty has stated that this device may violate the United Kingdom's Human Rights Act 1998.^[29]

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• Presbycusis, the age-related hearing loss
• Hearing range
• Absolute threshold of hearing

[edit] External links

• Technical information sheets and reports
• BBC article discussing its use in Wales