Youths who loiter around Letterkenny will soon be driven out of certain areas by being told, quite literally - ‘buzz off’!  Letterkenny Town Council is considering installing a new “sonic teenager deterrent” around the town to chase away anti-social youngsters with an annoying sound only audible to them.

The ‘Mosquito’ device omits an ultra-sonic tone, measuring around 16khz and close to the limit of the hearing range of those under 25.  However the buzzing sound is generally inaudible to anyone above that age.

The mechanism has already proved very effective in the UK, where they are widely used to deter large groups of teenagers from congregating outside businesses and ultimately becoming a public nuisance.  Management at The Four Lanterns Restaurant in Letterkenny have been using this sonar technology since Christmas and say the device is having an impact on dispersing the loitering teens.  Restaurant Manager, Kevin Grimes, told the Letterkenny Post that this device is aimed at a small section of teens that are continually causing hassle.

“Firstly we approach the group and ask them to leave. While the vast majority do move on, there are certain individuals who don’t and that’s when we use the ‘Mosquito’ system. Between 2 to 10 minutes of switching it on, the group tends to move away. This is yet another management tool we are using alongside CCTV to deal with problem teens.”