Around 1,000 children from 24 primary and five secondary schools across Hartlepool have been busy penning and performing crime-fighting songs.

A DVD of their experiences has also been put together, and will get its first public viewing at this weekend's Maritime Festival.

The pupils have made a 32-track CD with the help of a team at The Studio, in Tower Street, which delivered the project in partnership with Safer Hartlepool Partnership.

The idea of the CD was to get young people thinking about crime and how it should be tackled.

Mayor Stuart Drummond even recorded a track for the CD, called Safer Hartlepool, with pupils from St John Vianney Primary School.

The songs cover topics such as personal safety, why people commit crime, criminal damage, anti-social behaviour, fire safety and the portrayal of young people.

Brian Neale, of the Safer Hartlepool Partnership, said: "We wanted to set up a unique project that enabled young people to get their views across through different styles of music.

"The thoughts and ideas put forward were interesting, as youngsters mostly said that they didn't want to become involved in crime and couldn't understand why other young people would.

"We are going to take these views into account through our continuing work to engage young people in the town."

Copies of the CD, which cost £3 each, will be on sale in the Museum of Hartlepool shop.

The DVD will be shown tomorrow at the museum in the town's marina.
Liz Carter, from The Studio, said: "When we set about organising this project we didn't know what kind of ideas would be thrown into the mix. I am pleased to say that we allowed young people to work with their own opinions and we encouraged them to use their own creativity and artistic flair to write songs.

"What gives the finished CD so much credibility is that it genuinely reflects what the young people think."

Safer Hartlepool Partnership will have a stand behind Mecca Bingo during the festival and will be talking about the project.