[Salu]

Originally Posted by Graham

Also please don't use insulting phrases like "it doesn't take a genius" implying that anyone who disagrees is an idiot.

I'm sorry if you found this insulting. It was not meant to illustrate that you are dumb or indeed was it aimed at you. It was meant to show that unless one was particulalry naiive, one would realise that in a shopping centre known for it's problem with youths in hoodies, the majorative reason for wearing a hood was not to keep the ears warm but to conceal one's identity....

Originally Posted by Graham

Yes, I am sure that *SOME* people who wear hoodies or caps do so to hide their faces from cameras. This does *NOT*, however, mean that *all* people who wear hoodies or caps are doing it for that reason and I most certainly would not agree with someone who claimed that.

I agreed with that in my previous post. However I would argue that it is not *some* but more than that. To clarify I mean that they have the hood UP as opposed to wearing it. It is a nationally known practice amongst criminals from a police perspective.

Originally Posted by Graham

Ah, good old Vulcan logic, but once again something like that is used to justify what is, when it comes down to it, simple prejudice.

Vulcan logic indeed but for security to be effective there has to be an element of predjudice? Random police stops based on suspicion for example. Suspicion itself involves a logical comparison against a list of probabilities based recognised patterns. The smell of alchol on a drivers breath warrants a breath test. Is that being predjudiced to all cough medicine takers (contains alcohol to those who do not know) or just reasonable suspicion? The plantpot who carries a replica weapon should not have grounds of complaint when the police "predjudously" assume that it is real....etc

Originally Posted by Graham

But not *ALL* those whose faces they can't see are criminals.

You must have missed me agree with this.....

Originally Posted by Graham

And whilst they're at it, if shoplifters have been noted to hide stuff under coats, why not get them to take their coats off too? Or make them leave bags at the entrance to the centre instead of taking them with them? And why not fingerprint and photograph everyone who goes into the centre? Surely it's not too much to ask...???

Study proposal. "Does shopping naked lead to a decrease in shop lifting?"

Seriously though it's about weighing up the pros and cons of security intervention and coming to a reasonable balance. Bluewater is known for it's problem with Hoodies and crime so they have taken a reasonable step and asked people to put their hoods down. Wearing a coat is not threatening or attempting to conceal an identity. It's not practical to ask everyone to leave their bags at the entrance but it is reasonable to ask people to uncover their faces.

Originally Posted by Graham

And once again people demand that because I support someone's rights and dislike prejudice, I have to solve the problems of the world...

Only because you are particularly vociferous and a come across as a little sanctimonious sometimes. You are bound to attract that sort of question. There are too many arm chair debaters and not enough problem solvers in this world. And I place myself in that last catagory too..