HATE crime, internet safety, hoax calls and drug misuse are being discussed by about one thousand secondary school students in Hartlepool this week.

The council, emergency services and other key organisations will be educating children about the consequences of anti-social behaviour at Borough Hall on the Headland all week.

Anti-Social Behaviour Awareness Day runs from today (MONDAY) to Friday.

The annual event which is organised by the Safer Hartlepool Partnership, is for all year 8 (13 and 14-year-old) pupils from the town's secondary schools and aims to educate young people through a series of interactive workshops.

Issues covered by the workshops include, internet safety, healthy relationships, hate crime, alcohol and drug substance misuse, hoax emergency telephone calls, litter and the impact on others of large gatherings of young people.

Councillor Christopher Akers-Belcher, the chair of the Safer Hartlepool Partnership, said: “Anti Social Behaviour Awareness Day has been running now for eleven years and it has proved to be an excellent way to connect with the young people of our town and emphasise the role that they can play in combating anti-social behaviour.

“The interactive workshops enable the young people to express themselves and the event is also a great opportunity to showcase the very good work which goes on in the town by the various agencies working together to address anti-social behaviour.”

Cleveland's Police and Crime Commissioner Barry Coppinger will be attending the event tomorrow (TUESDAY).

The event is being organised by Hartlepool Council's Community Safety and Engagement team in partnership with Cleveland Police, Cleveland Fire Brigade, Victim Support, Hyped, Hartlepool Youth Offending Service, Hart Gables, Hartlepool Council's Environmental Enforcement Team, Harbour and Vulnerable Exploited Missing and Trafficked (VEMT).