Civil liberties - in brief (8)
01 January 2006
UK: "Mosquito" targets children: A high-pitched device designed to disperse groups of teenagers is increasingly being used throughout Britain. "The Sonic Teen Deterrent", nicknamed "The Mosquito", emits an ultra-sonic tone at a frequency only teenagers and children can properly hear. The noise becomes so annoying it forces them to move on. Adults are less affected because the human ear experiences a drop in the upper frequency sounds it can hear around the age of 20 and onwards. A number of local authorities and police forces have been testing the device and many have also been sold to members of the public. However, in March 2006 the Newport Community Safety Partnership told the owners of the Spar supermarket to stop using the device because it indiscriminately targets anyone under the age of 20. According to their spokesperson: "There have been discussions locally and nationally on the legality of a device which does not distinguish between those causing nuisance or anti-social behaviour and those who do not."
The Times 24.3.06; BBC website 24.3.06
UK: ASBO over-use becoming "routine": A former senior civil servant, who recently left the Home Office to become chief executive of the children's charity Barnardo's, has criticised the "over-use" of Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) against children. Martin Narey's claims come in response to new government statistics which show that 43% of the 2,700 orders issued between January and September 2005 were made against juveniles. He argued the use of orders against young persons is becoming "entirely routine" and is "catapulting children into a custodial system that has so many children in it that the chances of rehabilitation are slim and the chances of deeper criminalisation likely." Just as disturbing is a November 2005 report by the British Institute for Brain Injured Children which found that 35% of children given ASBOs had either a diagnosed mental health disorder or an accepted learning difficulty. Despite these concerns, Dundee City Council is to give school teachers the power to apply for ASBOs against unruly students as part of a new scheme. Examples of behaviour the orders might be used to combat include disrupting classes, abusing teachers and bullying other children. Although ASBOs are civil orders if breached its owner has committed a criminal offence and can face court action. The maximum penalty for children is a two-year detention and training order.
The Times 30/3/06; The Scotsman 21/2/06; The Herald 21/2/06.