The Mosquito: A Repellent Response
| Published date | 01 August 2008 |
| Date | 01 August 2008 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/1473225408091373 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
ARTICLE
Copyright © 2008 The National Association for Youth Justice
Published by SAGE Publications (Los Angeles, London, New Delhi and Singapore)
www.sagepublications.com
ISSN 1473–2254, Vol 8(2): 122–133
DOI: 10.1177/1473225408091373
The Mosquito: A Repellent Response
Charlotte Walsh
Correspondence: Charlotte Walsh, Faculty of Law, University of Leicester, University
Road, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK. Email: ckw2@leicester.ac.uk
Abstract
This article considers the Mosquito, a sonic repellent that is increasingly being used in a bid to
drive teenagers out of public spaces. Having located this technology in its social and political
context, the legal ramifi cations of its deployment are considered. Does the Mosquito satisfy health
and safety requirements? Does it contravene environmental regulations? Is utilization of this
device antisocial? Does its deployment constitute a form of criminal harassment? Finally, does
the Mosquito unjustifi ably interfere with human rights? Responses to the questions are offered,
along with potential remedies for redress.
Keywords: anti-social behaviour, harassment, human rights, Mosquito, nuisance, ‘teen repellent’
Introducing the Mosquito
The Mosquito, produced by a British company – Compound Security Systems – is a device that
is designed to ‘repel’ young people through the emission of a high-pitched sound set at between
18 and 20 kilohertz. Due to the natural progressive degradation of hearing throughout life
– presbycusis – this sound is at the top end of most teenagers’ hearing range, thus making
it uncomfortable to listen to. Those over 25 years of age are normally oblivious to it, or
can hear it only faintly, as it has fallen outside their hearing range; conversely, it falls more
towards the centre of the scale of hearing of younger children and babies, thus not appearing to
trouble them.
These biological facts render the Mosquito an ‘ideal irritant’ to teenagers, particularly those
with a tendency to gather in groups, for example outside shops, on industrial estates, or in car
parks. Currently retailing at approximately £500 in the United Kingdom, over 3300 Mosquitos
have been sold, on a global scale, both to private individuals/companies and to public bodies.
Private purchase tends to be driven by commercial factors, as the manufacturers’ advertising
blurb illustrates:
… the Mosquito ultrasonic teenage deterrent is the solution to the eternal problem of unwanted
gatherings of youths and teenagers in shopping malls, around shops and anywhere else they are
causing problems. The presence of these teenagers discourages genuine shoppers and customers from
coming into your shop, affecting your turnover and profi ts. Anti-social behaviour has become the
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