February 14, 2008
Scaring off the youths
Plenty of controversy this week about the Mosquito, a device used by irate shopkeepers to scare off loitering youths. The product, which has been sold in the thousands, emits an annoying sound which can only be heard by the under-20s. Liberty, the human rights group, is hoping to launch a legal campaign against its use.
There is an alternative, says the Local Government Association. It is called the "Manilow Method" and involves landlords playing naff music to deter teenagers.
Their top 20 suggestions:
1. Release Me - Engelbert Humperdinck
2. Unchained Melody - Robson and Jerome
3. (I’ve had) The Time of My Life - Bill Medley
4. Achy Breaky Heart - Billy Ray Cyrus
5. I Will Always Love You - Whitney Houston
6. Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen - Neil Sedaka
7. (Everything I Do) I Do It for You - Bryan Adams
8. Bridge Over Troubled Water - Gene Pitney
9. How Am I Supposed to Live Without You - Michael Bolton (pictured bottom left)
10. (They Long to Be) Close to You - The Carpenters
11. There’s No one Quite Like Grandma - St Winifred’s School Choir
12. I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) - The Proclaimers
13. Diamond Lights - Glenn and Chris
14. The Power of Love - Jennifer Rush
15. Hello - Lionel Richie
16. Things Can Only Get Better - D:Ream (below)
17. Uptown Girl - Billy Joel
18. Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love For You - Glenn Medeiros
19. Mistletoe and Wine - Cliff Richard
20. I’ve Got A Crush On You - Des O’Connor
Or just put on Melody FM…
Posted by: tom | February 15th, 2008 at 3:18 pm | Report this commentOr just put on Melody FM…
Posted by: tom | February 15th, 2008 at 3:18 pm | Report this commentDon’t most shops already do this? The cheesespeakers that infest my ears at the local shopping centre certainly do more to put me off spending cash than any burly security guard.
Posted by: Graham | February 15th, 2008 at 5:23 pm | Report this comment‘Things can only get better’ Absolutely love it!
Posted by: chaz | February 15th, 2008 at 9:48 pm | Report this commentI’d stand outside the shops for an hour or two just for a chance to join in and do a litle bop.
That would surely send the little tinkers running away in embarrassment, not at the song, but at this Mum singin’ and movin’! Bring it on!
Hey lay off the Barry Manilow bashing! He gave money to Ron Paul’s campaign - he can’t be all bad.
Posted by: Ron Paul fan | February 16th, 2008 at 9:28 pm | Report this comment[…] Scaring of the youth - FT Westminster Blog Comedy take on what next after the ;mosquito’ idea for scaring off troublesome yoof from the streets of Britain. (tags: blog westminster politics youth technology music) […]
Posted by: links for 2008-02-18 | February 18th, 2008 at 11:36 pm | Report this comment