Sonic threat to gangs
COMMUNITY leaders have condemned proposals to use noise warfare to disperse Bishop's Stortford teenagers congregating outside a centre.

Housing association Circle Anglia is considering installing a Mosquito Sonic Deterrent — which emits an intermittent high, buzzing noise audible only to under-25s — to cover Havers Community Centre.

It would be one of the first such teen repellents in the area, though they are being used elsewhere in the country.

A Circle Anglia spokeswoman said: "Residents in Knights Row and Benhooks Avenue have expressed concerns about noise and disruption.

"We are currently consulting them in partnership with the police to consider a range of options. One of these options is a Mosquito."

She added: "If it is decided by all parties that the option should be used, the community centre will be surveyed and a decision made then about the best place to site the device."
Knights Row is on the same site as the centre, the venue for a Friday night youth club.
Town councillor Norma Symonds, who is also on the community centre management committee, was outraged by the Mosquito idea.

"There have been a lot of complaints from the flats about the conduct of the young people, but I think it's more of a perceived problem than an actual one," she said.

Cllr Symonds acknowledged that youngsters did gather outside the centre and the flats, but said that the area had been used for that purpose since long before the flats were built.
"It's like people moving to a village and moaning about the church bells," she said.
"People are very intolerant of young people. They see a gang of eight young people and immediately think they're going to get mugged."

Bishop's Stortford Town Council leases the centre from East Herts District Council and town clerk John Ingham said: "If they [Circle Anglia] stick one up on the centre we will take it down."

Like Cllr Symonds, he sympathised with residents, but felt sure a compromise could be reached through discussion with the youngsters.

Insp Andy Piper, commander of Bishop's Stortford police, said there were no major problems at the centre. Although reports relating to drugs and alcohol had been made, he said there was no evidence of such behaviour taking place either in the centre or the immediate perimeter.

Insp Piper said that a meeting had been arranged with the Knights Row residents next week and until that had taken place he could not comment on the Mosquito idea.
When the Observer visited Knights Row yesterday (Wednesday, 28 February), residents backed the Mosquito idea, although they had not suffered personally from anti-social behaviour.

Andrew Blofeld said: "I think it would be a good thing.

"I know people have complained about kids playing football and hanging around."

Senior audiologist Angela King, of the Royal National Institute for Deaf People, said: "The 'Mosquito' emits a very high-pitched sound (16.5-17kHz) that is just within the range of human hearing for young people but will not be heard by most people over the age of 25.

"As we get older we gradually lose our hearing - and we lose it from the high frequency end of the sound spectrum first."

She added: "We understand that the sound from the 'Mosquito' can become extremely annoying to young people, but is not at a level that will cause any damage to hearing."

Author -
Publication Herts and Essex News
Date 01 March 2007
Link www.herts-essex-news.co.uk