I heard that they are trying to ban hoodies and caps from Blue Water? I think it could be taken to extremes but I don't have a problem with this in general. For instance, walking alone and having to make your way through a bunch of teenagers all dressed in hoodies up and baseball caps. It isn't a pleasant experience.

Alright, well all women (and men) should have to have their hair cropped short too, as wearing it up/down is a very effective quick and easy disguise :roll:.

I can understand them wanting you to remove baseball caps, or wear your hood down in shops, so they can see you on CCTV, but wearing a hoody with the hood down isn't in the least bit intimidating. I wear my hoody up, as an alternative to wearing a hat, when it's cold or I've been exercising.

Flamin Squirrel, True. I always say people like that, ironically, want less freedom. Freedom only so long as it is in agreeance with their idea of it...

Kate, I agree that people shouldn't feel intimidated on the streets and any large gathering of people loitering like that can look sinister. I'd rather the police came and dispersed them, regardless of how they were dressed.

I don't like the idea of being told what I can or can't wear, I wear hoodies all the time! I don't think you could call me particularly intimidating? But on the otherhand, I can think of a few more scenarios when it isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Oh, and that example was in a shopping centre in Croydon.

It ain't the hoodies that are the problem, its the little ******s that are wearing them :toss:

Did anyone watch the 'Tonight with Trevor McDonald' programme last night :?: 'Happy Slappers :?:'

Bring back the Birch I say :evil:

nothing inherently wrong with hoodies, ive got few and i like em.
nothing inherently wrong with baseball caps ive got a few and i like em, although i do tend to look like johnathon king..hhmmm.

but, i dont stand on corners with a gang with my hood up, a cap on and my hands in my pocket, looking moody, im a big bloke and these groups make me uneasy so i can underdand why people worry,

one of the reasons kids wear hoodies and caps like this is that they are emulating what they see in their peers, mtv and such , american gang culture is seen here by teens looking for their own identity, as cool,
most of the kids with hoodies and caps are just kids hanging out, but a lot arent, and you cant tell the difference cos you cant see there faces.

if a private shopping development wants to ban them, then fine. its there business.

if the police stop and search fine, the ones who are just hanging out will stop wearing them if they think there going to keep getting pulled.

as for saying ban beards and long hair, thats just a **** thing to say.

standards of behaviour are dropping accross all parts of society, anything that tries to raise them cant be all bad, as long as people dont get on there high horse all the time.

and as cloggsy says, bring back the birch, better still make them standard issue to law abiding citizens...............

I wear a hoodie when im out happy slapping!

Bluewater shopping center has banned hoodies and baseball caps! I suppose it can be a bit intimidating to some, and the kids that do wear them are a sandwich short of a picnic most of the time. It is a west coast 'gang' thing. Its a phase, until the nest one comes along!

Why ban hoodies when the issue is the anti-social behaviour? Who is to dictate what clothes anyone wears when the problem is how they act?

Should leather jackets be banned because Hell's Angels behave inappropriately?

No, because the angels tend to wear denim 'colours'. Just ban Jeanswear :wink:

I agree it's a sort of stereotyping/profiling and targetting the little scrotes who cause mischief (and who wear them), rather than just people wearing hoodies, would be the sensible thing to do. :)

Unfortuantely to solving the problem of antisocial behaviour would require an inkling of wit, which sadly the government doesn't poses.

Isn't this the same thing as identifying people as troublemakers because they're the wrong colour? Or sex? Or religion?

Or picking out people speeding rather than dangerous drivers?

What happened to just picking out the troublemakers rather than just going for whatever is the easy option? :evil:

It's not like chavs are hard to spot... but wearing a cap or hoodie doesn't automatically make you a chav.

Plus I bet all the shops in Bluewater will still be selling caps and hoodies, etc. - funny, that!