PM - Thursday, 4 September , 2008 18:40:00 Reporter: Annie Guest MARK COLVIN: In Britain the garments known as hoodies have been at the centre of a furious national law and order debate for the last three years.



Now British-style bans on young people wearing tops with the hoods up have come to Australia.



A shopping centre in the northern New South Wales town of Tweed Heads has been trying out a ban; it says it's because of concerns about gang violence.



But youth advocates say it's discriminatory, and they claim that it can actually lead to an increase in problems.



Annie Guest prepared this report.



(rap music)



MICHAEL KENNY: If I liken a gang to a family, these surrogate families are increasing in numbers.



WARREN POLGLASE: There has been considerable concern about young people and disturbances within Tweed city and surrounding areas.



(RAP MUSIC)



ANNIE GUEST: These comments by the local police superintendent Michael Kenny and Chamber of Commerce vice president Warren Polglase go some way to explaining the background to this story.



There's somewhat of a dress code for the youth they identify as troublesome and it includes hoodies. A hoodie is a shirt with a hood that can go over the head and partially obscure the face.



Prompted by what it describes as concern in the southern Gold Coast community and the media, the Tweed City Shopping Centre recently ran a trial imposing its own dress code on would be gangs.



Its spokesman is Michael Tree.



MICHAEL TREE: In consultation with the police and our security the centre management decided to trial a no hats or hoods, largely because our security cameras find themselves being blocked by hats and hoods if we're trying to identify anyone after an incident.



ANNIE GUEST: What sort of incidents are you referring to?



MICHAEL TREE: Shoplifting, anti-social behaviour.



ANNIE GUEST: Could you give us an example of that anti-social behaviour?



MICHAEL TREE: I think that poor language and I think that throwing food or shoplifting or intimidating staff members, those kind of things at any point are deemed unacceptable in a shopping centre.



ANNIE GUEST: Hoodie bans are not new. They've already been imposed in some shopping centres in the United States, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, where a university has also restricted the wearing of hoodies and hats.



There are reports that one UK ban actually led to an increase in business at a shopping centre.



But a youth advocacy group has launched a strident attack on the shopping centre at Tweed Heads for imposing the ban, even if it was part of a trial.



SIYAVASH DOOSTKHAH: We're very unhappy with it because it's clearly a discriminatory act.



ANNIE GUEST: The Youth Affairs Network's Siyavash Doostkhah says hoodies represent a fashion, not violence.



SIYAVASH DOOSTKHAH: And the hood is just a part of young people's fashion and subculture and has nothing to do to put fear in young people, fear into community members. And shopping centres should act more responsibly to allow young people to be at the shopping centre as consumers and to be there with clothing that they feel comfortable.



ANNIE GUEST: How is it any more discriminatory than other dress codes imposed by shopping centres such as wearing shoes?



SIYAVASH DOOSTKHAH: Wearing shoes is to do with safety. Now, where there has been any attempt to limit, curtail young people's access to public space there's been problems.



ANNIE GUEST: Do you mean that it in fact leads to further problems because it isolates young people?



SIYAVASH DOOSTKHAH: Absolutely.



ANNIE GUEST: Tweed City Shopping Centre's Michael Tree rejects the criticism.



MICHAEL TREE: Certainly our view, our intent is never to discriminate against anyone and internally that is one of the issues that will be included in our review.



ANNIE GUEST: And in your review have you found that it has had an effect of reducing anti-social behaviour?



MICHAEL TREE: To be honest we're still looking at it. Our initial thoughts are that it probably hasn't made a great deal of difference.



ANNIE GUEST: The centre is yet to decide on the future of the hoodie.



MARK COLVIN: Annie Guest.