Skateboarders are not welcome at University Town Center. But they should be.

The Hyattsville Wire noticed this sign recently at the housing-and-retail development near Prince George’s Plaza. We think it’s self-defeating.

As the sport’s fans often say, “skateboarding is not a crime.” In fact, it can actually help deter crime, since real criminals don’t want to risk being seen by anyone, even if it’s just some teen-agers practicing their kick flips.

That’s one reason why the city of Hyattsville built a new skate park along the Anacostia River back in 2012.

So what’s the objection? We can imagine a property owner like University Town Center thinking that groups of teens hanging out would be the wrong image for the development, which is aiming for a slightly older crowd with Carolina Kitchen, Hank’s Tavern and an upcoming Safeway.

But right now, the alternative is an all-too-often empty plaza. Surely a few teen-agers on skateboards would be preferable.