NEWPORT school pupils learned about the consequences of anti social behaviour in an emergency services day.

The event saw over 70 students from Llanwern High and Lliswerry High receive educational talks from Gwent Police, South Wales Fire and Rescue and Newport City Homes.

Classes were split into groups in the grounds of the Rodney Parade Stadium, visiting five stations for a mixture of talks, activities and practical demonstrations.

Organiser Emily Kemp, anti-social behaviour officer for Newport City Council, stated the event was a response to a “spike” in anti-social behaviour in the Newport East area.

She said: “This is the first time an event of the type has happened in Newport and its all about intervention and prevention.

“You can only tolerate behaviour for so long and we don’t expect the community to tolerate it either, although it is important not to generalise all kids in the same way.

“We have so many provisions in Newport that we can offer but we need to make sure that people know they’re available.”

Gwent police activities included looking for concealed knives in a car in a stop and search simulation and a weapons display from Gwent Police’s armed response unit.

PC Angela Jones said:“Today is about educating the children in relation to the consequences of anti-social behaviour and the impact their behaviour can have on society.

“We have made sure that some of the events here are more fun and interactive and from a police perspective."

She added: “The key thing is to educate the children about the impact of fire setting in the community and the cost on the agencies who have to deal with it.”

South Wales Fire and Rescue were represented by Maindee station commander Nick Jones, who believes deliberate fire setting is a “historical problem” in Newport.

He said: “Our presentation is about the fallout from deliberate fires and how they can affect lives.

"Consequences can range from a criminal record to a life-long impact on your chances of employment.”

Gareth Price, of Newport City Homes, added: “We did a presentation addressing anti social behaviour in relation to tenancy from littering and fighting to drugs and music.

“Basically it is about how their behaviour could affect their parents property if they’re a tenant and explaining that Newport City Homes could potentially evict in certain cases.”

Lliswerry High School teacher, Mrs Susan Griffiths, attended with her pupils and praised the day for its “links between the different agencies”.

She said: “It’s about educating the pupils and will hopefully spread the word not to get involved in anti-social behaviour and what the consequences might be if they do.

“It’s all about moving forward all the time and we’re keen to get involved in things help all our pupils.”

The stadium provided 90 free Rugby tickets to those taking part and pupils received free travel on the day in a pledge of support from Newport Bus.