Cops use "Acne Lights" to keep teens from hanging out in trouble areas.

[stephendare]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090326/wl_uk_afp/britainyouthoffbeat;_ylt=AlJBf34vWgESu7fFUueo4N5vaA8F

LONDON (AFP) â€" A British town is using garish pink lighting that shows up acne to deter teenagers from loitering, in the latest example of using simple technology to break up loutish gatherings.

Residents of Mansfield in central England have installed fluorescent pink lights normally used by dermatologists to show up pimples and acne blemishes.

That aside, it is also thought that surly teenage males might find it "uncool" to hang around in a bright pink underpass.

Marianne Down, from the Layton Burroughs Residents' Association, told Mansfield newspaper Chad that the lights were having the desired effect.

"We used to have quite a problem with large groups of young people hanging around in the underpasses drinking, which felt quite intimidating, but the pink lights have really made a difference," she said.

"The groups aren't there as much and it feels safer walking through there now, particularly at night."

Britain has turned to several new ideas to deter teenage louts from hanging around where they are not wanted.

The Mosquito, a device which emits an irritating high-pitched sound that adults cannot hear, has been deployed in several towns across the country, to great effect.

Mansfield residents are so pleased with the lights that they are planning to install a new set elsewhere in the town. Local councillor David Brown said: "I totally agree with it and it seems a good idea.

"It will be interesting to see how effective this is. It's effectively embarrassing them into moving on but they could just see it as a big joke and turn up with balaclavas."

[thelakelander]

Smurfs!  Yeah, I can see how this would put a dent in loitering.

[BridgeTroll]

 

[urbanlibertarian]

Classical or elevator music works, too.

[DetroitInJAX]

Wouldn't need anything like that in Downtown Jacksonville..


...Nobody goes there anyway.

[BridgeTroll]

Sure they do... you just dont know where to go...

[Springfield Girl]

Now if we could come up with something to keep the bums away.....

[urbanlibertarian]

I use the Nancy Reagan method for keeping bums away; Politely, just say no to requests for change, smokes, etc.

[acme54321]

I use the Nancy Reagan method for keeping bums away; Politely, just say no to requests for change, smokes, etc.

Apparently a whole lot of people don't even know this is an option.

[coredumped]

The kids just need glow sticks and some music and they've got a government sponsored rave! I'm in!

[Adam White]

I remember convenience stores doing something similar - I think it was maybe low pressure sodium lights? Or maybe a different type - but it was discovered that teens tended not to congregate for very long because the lighting made their skin look bad.

I've heard about the classical music thing, too. Kind of funny.

[finehoe]

Here's another method:

High Pitch Only Teens Can Hear Used As Deterrent

As 15-year-old Eddie Holder sprinted from his apartment for school one recent morning, he held his hand to one ear to block out a shrill, piercing noise.

The sound was coming from a wall-mounted box, but not everyone can hear it. The device, called the Mosquito, is audible only to teens and young adults and was installed outside the building to drive away loiterers.

The gadget made its debut in the United States last year after infuriating civil liberties groups when it was first sold overseas. Already, almost 1,000 units have been sold in the U.S. and Canada, according to Daniel Santell, the North America importer of the device under the company name Kids Be Gone.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/04/23/high-pitch-only-teens-can_n_98304.html

[Adam White]

Here's another method:

High Pitch Only Teens Can Hear Used As Deterrent

As 15-year-old Eddie Holder sprinted from his apartment for school one recent morning, he held his hand to one ear to block out a shrill, piercing noise.

The sound was coming from a wall-mounted box, but not everyone can hear it. The device, called the Mosquito, is audible only to teens and young adults and was installed outside the building to drive away loiterers.

The gadget made its debut in the United States last year after infuriating civil liberties groups when it was first sold overseas. Already, almost 1,000 units have been sold in the U.S. and Canada, according to Daniel Santell, the North America importer of the device under the company name Kids Be Gone.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/04/23/high-pitch-only-teens-can_n_98304.html

I've heard about that (though sadly, I'm far too old to hear it). I think that's a bit too far, actually.