IT is not often teenagers can be openly abusive to police officers without being fearful of the consequences.

But youngsters at a North Yorkshire school were given that opportunity yesterday.

The county's force has been training eight community support officers at Boroughbridge High School for the past week.

As part of their training, they have to experience mock-ups of situations such as dealing with drunks and anti-social youngsters.

Yesterday, a group of drama students were on hand to play a gang of unruly teenagers.

They were handed unlit cigarettes and fake alcoholic drinks and told to cause as much trouble as possible. The trainees then had to deal with the situation.

Tutor PC Geoff Crocker, a Harrogate-based community safety officer, said: "What the officers have to deal with here is probably a lot worse than what they will come across on the street.

"It shows us a lot about them and it reveals a lot about them to themselves."

The trainees will soon go on the beat with tutors, before serving in the Richmond, Harrogate and Craven districts.