Collaborative working can help get young people a better deal

Mostly, of course, young people are not actively misbehaving; often they are just socialising on the way home. While they can sometimes seem to be a bit threatening, when approached, they are almost always pleasant and helpful. But teenagers are just a bit bigger and noisier than their younger siblings, especially in groups.

So sometimes things can get out of hand and I understand why some shopkeepers become frustrated. What I can't understand is the wish to install Mosquitoes, the much-criticised device that emits a high-pitched and unpleasant sound inaudible to people over the age of about 20. The aim is to make the location unpleasant for young people and to get them to move on. There are three reasons why this is deeply wrong. First, it is an indiscriminate measure, giving a clear message that all young people are likely to misbehave. Second, some children affected by the sounds will be too young to understand or complain. And third, it is a negative measure when positive action would be much more likely to have a beneficial effect.