A poster campaign encouraging adults not to judge young people in hoodies has been launched by Suffolk Police.

The "What are you looking at?" poster was put up across the Waveney and Suffolk coastal district last week and depicts two men, one in a hooded top, the other in a police uniform. But on closer examination it is the same person wearing different clothing. The poster suggests "before you judge, look a little closer".

It is the latest initiative in Suffolk Police's Let's Get A Life! campaign, which aims to stem antisocial behaviour by encouraging interaction between all sections of the community to break down their stereotypical views of each other.

The campaign is characterised by a skeleton, Mr Green, to reinforce the message that although people look and sound different on the outside, underneath they are all the same.

Detective Sergeant Daye Goddard, the lead officer for the campaign, said the hooded top is often associated with young people deemed to be up to no good, but the poster aims to challenge perceptions.

"Young people have to think about how they're impacting on everyone else," she said. "But older people and those affected by the image of a hoodie need to think about the way they are tarring everyone with the same brush. A person wearing a hoodie isn't necessarily bad."

DS Goddard said the posters were linked to a DVD produced last year and shown at middle schools in the area. "The posters have only just come out but, as far as the campaign has gone, it's been positive," she said.

- www.letsgetalife.co.uk.