The Mosquito

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The Mosquito or Mosquito alarm^[1] is an electronic device which emits high-frequency sounds, similar to the buzz of a mosquito, the insect (approximately 17.4 kHz at 85dB).^[2]^[clarify] Because the ability to hear high frequencies deteriorates in humans with age (a phenomenon known as presbycusis), the noise is most commonly audible to younger persons.

The device is marketed for use as a safety and security tool for preventing anti-social behaviour such as gang loitering which can often lead to graffiti, vandalism, drug usage, drug distribution, as well as violence. It is very popular in the UK, with some 3500 in use, mostly by shopkeepers and police authorities. The device is also being sold in Canada and the USA. Even though it is currently legal for private citizens to use, ^[3] the distributors and resellers of the product do not typically sell the device for home usage.

1 History
2 Opposition
3 Teen Buzz ringtone
4 Legal status in the UK
- 4.1 Human Rights Act 1998
- 4.2 Noise laws
5 References
6 External links

[edit] History

The Mosquito was invented by Howard Stapleton in 2005, and was originally tested at one location in Barry, South Wales, where it was successful in reducing the number of teenagers loitering near a grocery store.^[4]

Another device was installed in a Spar shop in Caerleon Road in Newport, South Wales: after three months, it was banned^[5] 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 from Newport, another Spar shop was involved with gangs of youths, so the Mosquito went up again and successfully banned loiterings and abuses in the shop^[6].

More, the device remained legal in the rest of the UK, as the manufacturers claim the tones are broadcast at 75 decibels, so they fall within the government's auditory-safety limits. The Mosquito was released into the mainstream market in 2006.

In 2008, in response to a major national campaign ^[7] launched by the Children’s Commissioner for England, 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".^[8]

[edit] Opposition

A campaign called "Buzz off" is calling for The Mosquito to be banned.^[9]

Shami Chakrabarti, director of human rights group Liberty, has claimed that the sound is an "untested [and] unregulated" and that it can be a "sonic weapon directed against children and young people."

"These devices are indiscriminate and target all children and young people, including babies, regardless of whether they are behaving or misbehaving," claims Albert Aynsley-Green, the Children’s Commissioner for England. "The use of measures such as these are simply demonizing children and young people, creating a dangerous and widening divide between the young and the old."^[10]

[edit] Teen Buzz ringtone

Some adolescents, however, have found the once annoying sound can be used as a tool, and turned it into a ringtone to prevent disciplinary actions that would normally be imposed if a mobile phone user was caught using their phones during school hours, by creating a mobile phone ringtone that is inaudible to most adults.^[11] This ringtone became informally known among schoolchildren as "Teen Buzz",^[12] and has since been sold commercially.

However, if in such settings where this kind of ringtone is utilized, it can be made more audible if another tone of a different frequency, preferably inaudible to most (e.g. 22kHz), were broadcast continuously. One must also be aware that a sound system that is old and out of tune will improperly emit such high tones with enough distortion that makes it clearly audible regardless of the age of the listener. Any two different tones (audible plus inaudible) will create a tone that is more audible than the original.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Legal status in the UK

[edit] Human Rights Act 1998

Liberty has suggested that this device may violate the UK's Human Rights Act 1998.^[13]

[edit] Noise laws

The legal status of the The Mosquito under various environmental laws is dubious. The Environmental Protection Act 1990, the Noise and Statutory Nuisance Act 1993, Noise Act 1996, Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 and the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 all provide legislation dealing with environmental noise.

Defra and the National Assembly for Wales issued a circular providing their interpretation of the legislation of the Noise Act 1996. This includes the following:

For the purposes of the night noise offense, the permitted level... shall be determined in accordance with the following:

In any case where the underlying level of noise does not exceed 25dB, the permitted level shall be 35dB.

In any case where the underlying level of noise exceeds 25dB, the permitted level shall be 10dB in excess of that underlying level.|The Noise Act circular 2004, Defra and the National Assembly for Wales^[14]

The Noise Act provides Local Authorities with the power to issue warning notices. Ignoring these notices is an offence which may lead to on-the-spot fines of £100 and confiscation of equipment for people.