Year ten B-Tech Performing Arts students from Burnside Business Enterprise College created a 20 minute performance which delivered a serious message of anti-social behaviour in a fun and creative way.

The performance was the result of work between the students and officers from Wallsend Neighbourhood Policing Team.

Neighbourhood Inspector Mick Todd said: "Using a short play to get across an important message about youth disorder is a great idea which really works.

"Officers are regular visitors to the school and they have helped the students come up with real life scenarios showing just what can happen to youngsters if they cave in to peer pressure and go off the rails.

"This drama captures the problems and demonstrates the importance of making the right life choices."

Nine pupils were involved with the performance which is based around a teenage boy, Eugine, who falls in with a new group of friends who chose to go out and get someone to buy alcohol for them.

The boy ends up drunk, being taken home by police and gets in trouble from his parents. Then his school life slips and his life changes as a consequence of his behaviour.

Over 140 children watched the performance, including visits from feeder schools in the town like Richardson Dees Community Primary School, St Columba's Primary School and Western Community Primary School.

Assistant headteacher Rosalind Elliott is responsible for community development and external partnerships at Burnside.

She said: "This joint project is an innovative way to help our students understand that we all play a vital role and have a responsibility within our community and that the consequences of our actions affects all ages and all groups.

"The police have helped our students challenge the stereotypical views on anti-social behaviour and the perception young people have about policing.

"Drama is a great way to give students the opportunity to explore how the consequences of anti-social behaviour impact on themselves and their peers and they are keen to encourage their audiences of young people to really think about and reconsider what anti-social behaviour really means to them."

Year Ten student Rebecca Harrison said: "The police have told us a lot about the problems people our age face when they cause anti-social behaviour.

"For example your future career can be affected and you might not be able to travel abroad."

Performer Scott Lowery, 15, who played Britney in the performance said the work surrounding the play and the officers had had a positive effect on the group.

"We have been doing work to show what the affects and the consequences are of anti-social behaviour.

"I think it is effective for young people because it is real to them, and they have been experienced circumstances similar to what we have performed.

"The scenarios and characters were not something that we have come up with, they are something that we have experienced."

As a reward for the hard work and the successful performance the pupils who were involved are being treat to a Pizza Hut buffet at the Silverlink.

Inspector Todd added: "This is a real life situation for a small minority of youngsters. But it does show that for some young people the consequences of a thoughtless evening out can have lasting effects."