Targeting badly behaved Britons

‘Taking these kids on’
“I think it’s marvelous,” Bluewater shopper Jill Hopper said of the initiative this week.

“It’s such a pleasant atmosphere here; you don’t want a whole group of hoodies coming around — it’s great they’re taking these kids on,” the 46-year-old said.

“They do intimidate some people and that’s their aim,” said 27-year-old shopper Adam Cropper.

His girlfriend Laura Thomas, 23, added, “They’re all quite young and trying to act older … they wear (hoods) to make people think they’re stealing even if they don’t have the balls to do it, it’s all part of their act."

Cropper, a doorman, and Thomas, a bar manager, both added that they would like to see a complete ban on caps and hoods in city centers.

Tackling antisocial behavior
Bluewater’s code of conduct follows in the footsteps of other government and private initiatives to quash hooliganism that include:

• Handing out antisocial behavior orders (ASBOS), some of which bar offending youths from entering city centers or visiting former partners in crime.
• Passing out yellow and red cards in a warning system similar to that used on the soccer field.
• Giving away chocolate to prevent alcohol-fueled violence.
• Banning the designer label Burberry (an apparent favorite with teen gangs) from some bars and clubs.

Blair’s new minister for antisocial behavior, Hazel Blears, also suggested this week that teenage offenders wear uniforms while carrying out community punishments to shame them publicly and show the community that something is being done to reprimand them.

"I want them to be identified," Blears told the Observer.

While some of these measures may sound odd, the government and private venues are in a sticky situation.

Many “antisocials” are under 18 and know they can’t be prosecuted as harshly as adults. And, while the combination of loud music, graffiti, brawling, drunkenness, and petty theft have serious affects on communities, few single crimes carry heavy punishments.

Rights group urges mall boycott
Despite the Labour Party’s enthusiastic support for Bluewater’s ban on hoods, the opposition Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, along with child-welfare experts have spoken out against the mall’s clothing rule, and Blear’s uniform plan was deemed “a nasty gimmick,” by the rights group Liberty.

One group went as far as to urge youths to boycott Bluewater.

"The Children's Society urges children and young people to use their yearly spending power of 70 million pounds to reverse the ban on so called 'yob' clothing at Bluewater Shopping Center,” the Christian social justice organization said in a press release.

“This ban is a case of blatant discrimination based on stereotypes and prejudices that only fuels fear,” it said.

Some shoppers at the landscaped complex that offers outdoor boating, fishing, and a putting green agreed with the organization.

“It’s stupid; what you wear doesn’t say who you are,” said 28-year-old Dan Beckenham. “A well-dressed business man could be a mugger too,” the sales manager said.

‘Gonna buy a hoodie just to see what happens’
In other cases, the ban appeared to fuel teens’ desire to rebel.

“I don’t wear hats cause my head’s too big, but now I’m gonna buy a hoodie just to see what happens,” said 18-year-old Richard Morris, a student and part-time mall employee.

Another 18-year-old, Lee Chapple, who was wearing a cap at the time, said, “I’m not gonna stop wearing what I normally wear — afterall, I got a reputation to look after.”

Despite widespread media coverage and pamphlets posted around the center, 22-year-old student Sam Lam said he had not heard about the new “code of conduct” and was sporting a gray, woven beanie at the mall this week.

Upon learning of the ban he said: “I can see where they’re coming from. It’s to defeat crime from young yobs cause people advertise themselves in certain ways, but from my perspective it’s not justified cause I wear this hat as a fashion icon.”

Bluewater sees itself as a pioneer. “We’re leading this issue,” said Becky Rowlings of Brave PR, which represents Bluewater.

“But many centers have asked to see the 'code of conduct' so it may be more widespread in the future.”

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