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Is forcing people to listen to "Mandy" cruel and unusual punishment?
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Manilow song to tame teens
5:00AM Friday February 15, 2008



Researchers hope Barry Manilow's high-pitched voice will put off youths. Photo / Reuters

Local government authorities are considering a Sydney council's "Manilow method" for dispersing unruly teenagers as an option for tackling anti-social behaviour in Britain.

Campaigners this week called for a ban on a device in use across the UK known as The Mosquito, which emits a high-pitched tone audible only to the young.

Local Government Association head of news Richard Stokoe said his organisation was examining an alternative, introduced by Rockdale Council in 2006.

The council, in Sydney's southern suburbs, played Barry Manilow tunes over loudspeakers to stop youths hanging around.

"We were looking at how we can replace one high-pitched, weedily noise with another high-pitched weedily noise and we came up with Barry Manilow," Mr Stokoe said.

"We are keeping an eye on research from places like Rockdale."

The association hopes to produce a best practice manual of recommendations for local councils to deal with congregating youths. Rockdale was not the first council to use unfashionable music to repel the young.


In 1999, the Warrawong Westfield shopping mall in Wollongong played Bing Crosby hits repeatedly to drive away loitering teenagers.

Several stations in London have tried playing classical and jazz music to deter young troublemakers. They have found opera and symphonies more effective than jazz, which was considered "cool", Mr Stokoe said.

In a move backed by civil libertarians, the Children's Commissioner for England has argued The Mosquito infringes on the rights of young people, and should be banned.

The devices emit a tone that causes discomfort to young ears, which are capable of picking up very high frequencies, but is outside the normal hearing range of people over the age of 25.

Mr Stokoe said anecdotal evidence suggested youngsters had turned The Mosquito to their advantage, however. He said some were recording the sound and then using it as the ring tone on their mobile phones so they could hear an incoming call or text message without attracting the attention of a teacher.
- AAP

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http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10492492