Petition: remove child-specific antipersonnel device from Welsh library

boing
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I’m always baffled by the strange level of antipathy that skateboarding induces in a certain type of old person.

If you look at it logically, skateboarders are doing everything that adults keep on telling teenagers to do. They’re getting a hobby, getting some exercise, and getting out in the fresh air. Also, in my experience, they’re very unlikely to be doing anything antisocial or criminal. They’re too busy practising for any of that. If I think back to my teenage years, the skateboarders were among the more laid back of all the youth tribes.

But I guess none of that counts for much when you’re being annoyingly visible and audible and using public space as if you were a member of the public or something.

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Hi All,

The building was being damaged and staff where attacked, yep only supposed to be used at night, went wrong now fixed.

Devices outside shops and homes should only be used when there is trouble. To many home owners and shop staff abused trying to sort the problem out themselves and not enough police to deal with the problem.

This unit covers private property and is set to sound at night only, so don’t worry Mr B you can use the library without fear of another Panic Attack. The cost of a single security guard to cover nights is over £35K a year.

I invented the device after my teen daughter was attacked outside the local shop by a gang of shit faced kids one evening. It and it is a shame that a few chavs reck it for the rest, you know the type those who think an ASBO is cool.

It is a very sad sign of our times, no respect from the parents and even less from their kids. CCTV works sometimes but most of time encourages them as they hope to see themselves on one of the TV shows.

As long as Mum and Dad can drink themselves daft without the kids hanging around the house what do they care what their kids get up to.

If anyone knows of a unit being misused contact Compound Security, you can google them, they have helped councils remove them if they are being abused.

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How do you make sure that no public property is effected by the devices you make?
How can you guarantee that they only cover private property?
What about the health implications? As a life long sufferer of migraines, I promise you that there are health issues associated with these things.

You know what? Screw you. I’m in my thirties and these things piss me off. The sooner they are outlawed the better.

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PSA: Trolls that start off sounding polite and reasonable are still trolls.

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I find it hard to be annoyed by this. There are better things to be concerned with. There’s also a lack of information on the matter because it makes their case sound better.

  1. This was installed in 2012 as a solution to complaints about noise from “Cedar Courts Residents”. This is the first time there’s been a problem?
  2. The thing wasn’t supposed to be used during the day, only when the library s closed. Why it isn’t on a timer is a mystery to me.
  3. These things are used in many places.

One thing that makes me angry that you haven’t included in the post is that the dude and his father have supposedly received legal threats from the assholes who make the thing.

The protest was filmed by two representatives of device manufacturer Compound Security Systems (CSS). My dad and I have also been threatened with legal action by CSS.

Send them angry emails:
simon@compoundsecurity.co.uk
http://www.compoundsecurity.co.uk/contact-us

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46

My husband once used German opera to stop his mostly younger co-workers from loitering in his office stopping him from actually getting things done.

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I am interested in seeing these screen shots:

My contact with you Gareth was via your facebook page on Wednesday, about 18 hours before you called me on Thursday (today) morning. I have a screen shot of my posts with times if anyone wants to see it.
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My main concern would be for young children whose adult caretakers are immune to the device (especially those who cannot fully communicate i.e. young or developmentally challenged).
This report seems to echo some of those concerns:
OPINION for HEALTH PROTECTION SCOTLAND on ‘Noise Mosquitoes’ (PDF)

From the literature reviewed and the findings from an online search (OVID, Medline etc), HPS cannot draw firm conclusions as to the likelihood of health effects on children from exposure to noise emitted by the ‘mosquito’ deterrent. However, as studies citied related to exposure in adults rather than children and that some adverse health effects, particularly in susceptible individuals, was noted as being a possibility, HPS are unable to provide an evidence-based quantification of the risk posed by these devices to children’s health.
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“Remove the Mosquito Device from the Library building! It has been active in the day for months, off during the day currently but is faulty and is under human control and so human error so could come on again and cause damage!”

Is it just me, or does that not make any sense?

I thought the English invented the language.

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They did. And the Welsh invented a whole different language of their own.

I don’t normally act like an pedant but there’s a solid chance that the person who wrote the petition might not have been English.

That, and they may not have been able to access the educational resources at the library due to indiscriminate sonic weaponry.

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51

What a great way to discourage five year olds from going to the library.

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52

I would be surprised if the audio system of a typical mobile phone works at such high frequencies.

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Hi Again,

A little more information, the term ultrasonic sounds so Si-Fi ( terrifying ) but all it means is a sound above hearing so to those who can hear it, so it it’s not Ultrasonic.

High frequency sound does not pass through solid objects so if used in a public area we warn the purchaser about possible problems from using it on warm nights as windows may be left open and children in bed may be disturbed so I ask my customers to avoid using it in these conditions.

I also advise customers using the device in public areas only to use it when needed, but without a law covering it’s use like the warning signs being displayed I can only ask them nicely to do so.

I have myself campaigned for my invention to be regulated but no one in authority seems to be bothered, I would like to see my invention licensed and used with CCTV being remotely operated by trained staff in a special control centre operating them under strict rules.

Regarding small children since inventing the Mosquito I have had another daughter and she is not bothered by it and she is aged 5 and has passed a hearing test with flying colours. I have also seen on several occasions babies sleeping in prams directly under sounding Mosquitos.

The Mosquito works because the sound is at the extreme of you’re hearing ability, this and the carefully designed tone make it so unpleasant. I suspect that to my daughter the sound is not high frequency so she does not find it annoying.

People have asked about dogs and this has been fully tested by the guide dogs for the blind and their conclusion was it had little to no effect at all, again it’s not high frequency to a dog.

When I built the first one I had no idea of the size of the problem and that now 7 years on over 10K units have sold worldwide. The places they do not sell are countries who still believe and enforce good old fashioned discipline and teach respect to your elders.

We quote that the Mosquito can run at 108 dB but this is like saying that your ghetto blaster (showing my age) pumps out 100 watts peak to peak but this is actually 35 using the correct scientific measurement RMS (100/2*0.7=35). Kids listen to their MP3s at way higher volumes.

So the Mosquito is not particularly loud but the noise it makes is very annoying which at the end of the day is the point. In tests teens often don’t even notice the sound for several minutes and then it takes minutes more before it becomes annoying just like your alarm clock.

Those who say I am full of ’shit’ are plain wrong I only built the thing so my daughter (then 14) could visit the local shop in the evening without being molested.

I was offered a great deal of money to sell my invention so it could be massed produced in the far east but I turned it down as I knew if it could be purchased for £50 everyone and his dog would use it, I am not a millionaire as millionaires don’t have overdrafts.

I live on an estate in Merthyr Tydfil in a 4 bed house valued at £180K, no Porsche for me, but I do get a lot of thank you’s from very happy customers who’s lives had been blighted.

Regarding the library it was being operated by a remote control that went faulty, it is now controlled by a timer so unless you hang around there at night you will not be effected.

If you believe one of my devices is being used inappropriately and it does happen, like the guy who bought a house next to a school and used it to stop the kids playing in the yard at break time I will investigate and do by best to sort the problem, mail me howard@compoundsecurity.co.uk

However I do have people crying on the phone to me about how their life is being made a living hell by gangs of wayward teens and then receive thanks when the Mosquito solves the problem, what other affordable solution is there.

I haven’t heard about the likes of Mr B and his friends coming to the rescue, if you want to see the back of the Mosquito then don’t moan about it get of your bums and do something about the problem like policing your own neighbour hoods.

Saying this even though I am heavily into martial arts I wouldn’t challenge a group of 14 year olds with beer bottles, if I did and I ended up having to defend myself it would be me who would be arrested for assault or worse. Fact people have been attacked and even stabbed.

Yes this could be called scaremongering but you would not say this if it was a friend or relative of yours who was on the receiving side! The majority of kids are good kids thank God but there are some nasty bastards out there.

I can go on and on as I am passionate about my invention as you can see, so I am going to make couple more points.

I am posting this here as Mr B of MH has banned me from commenting on his campaign site, he gives it but can’t take it, even so I am sorry about the panic attack and now the unit has been fixed it shouldn’t happen again. So much for him saying he is a socialist.

The average number of calls from a home owner or shop keeper who is being targeted is a call a day to the police. One visit by the police costs on average £150, 150 x 7 = £1050 say 200 calls due to the weather = £30000 a year and that is if the police have the staff to attend.

Often with minutes of the police arriving and leaving the gangs are back and as one small shop keeper who was about to shut up shop for ever because of a local gang said “having a Mosquito was like having his own police officer stationed outside his shop”

I was even told by a large group of kids whilst filming some TV that they would be pleased to see a device installed at their local shop as they were to afraid to visit the shop after dark, yes in many places it really is this bad.

The problem of teenage anti-social behaviour costs our country millions a year and this is our money, taxpayers money that is being spent. The Mosquito is very well built and designed and at £500 a pop you only buy one if you are really suffering.

Its simple if there was not a problem then there would be no sales. There are simply not enough police to deal with the current situation, the long term answer is a step back in time to good old fashioned discipline but this would give the Human rights brigade a heart-attack.

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Props to you for coming online and communicating.

My favourite approach to social disorder has always been to paint the zone pink and play classical music. It has a beautiful effect on the supposed cool kids - undermines their status.

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Most modern phones range up to 20KHz

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Sorry me again but I can see that this forum is well read and unlike Mr B’s Facebook page I am not being censored. So much for a socialist’s wish to ban censorship and to allow the right of reply!

One store removed a Mosquito that had been doing its job of an evening for nearly 2 years without a single complaint but it was replaced for political reasons with a speaker playing classical music.

They received multiple complaints within days, the reason is that high frequency (The Mosquito sound) is very directional as well as being unable to pass through solid objects.

Music on the other hand being of lower frequency broadcasts over a much wider area and will pass through both walls and windows.

Believe it or not even some yobs enjoy classical music, but I have yet to find one who likes the sound of the Mosquito.

The Mosquito can be set to produce a short beep every minute to warn parents that the device is sounding but this also received many complaints for the same reason as playing music being of lower frequency = penetration and wider angle of broadcast.

The proof is the fact in the years that the Mosquito has been available we have received very few genuine complaints other than those who disagree which it in principle.

When and if I can afford to I would like to produce the MK5 to which I intend to add a light that flashes when sounding as a warning for parents and carers.

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A big thank you to Gareth for posting my comments from bbs, I may even have to apologise for saying you have been censoring me, if and when you allow me to post on your page. You have done the town of Milford Haven a favour in getting a faulty unit fixed, well done. When a problem of this sort is brought to my attention I always do my best to resolve the issue.

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But your machines are still out there indiscriminately punishing people who dare to go to public places.

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This is why I have personally called for my device to be legislated to stop abuse and to ensure it is only used to prevent trouble and then only when the authorities have failed.

They opened a skate park close to housing in Merthyr several years ago but shut it down due to trouble from a small group of teens in the evenings and through the night.

Thankfully a new park has been opened in a very well lit area away from homes. Well done Merthyr council.

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So why do you still sell the thing if they won’t legislate?

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