WOOTTON Bassett School pupils will be helping the town's police tackle bullying, anti-social behaviour and drug problems.

The new school liaison officer PC Freddy Hugill will attend assemblies, meet with the school council and even ride the school bus in an effort to forge links with young people.

He has already had his first meeting with the upper sixth council during which a number of suggestions were mooted.

One of them was an email link direct to police officers enabling children to give information about sensitive subjects like drug dealing without having to go to the station.

Headgirl Jenny Boyd, 18, said the initial meeting with PC Hugill was very productive.

"We are in the process of organising assemblies for each year group so all the kids can get to know his face and what he does," she said."The school already has a strong stance on bullying but it is good to have someone outside the school that kids can contact.''

The police have received complaints from residents on the Lime Kiln Estate about pupils trampling on gardens or hanging around making noise. Jenny said: "Another suggestion was to plant some flowers or install a bench to create a more pleasant environment for the residents. The students might have more respect if the space is nicer."

PC Hugill, who is the designated beat officer for Lime Kiln, said: "I hope to break down distrust and be a visible point of contact so people can speak to me directly.

"As confidence in the local police increases, people feel more inclined to report things."

Sgt Andy Fortune added: "It is a chance to show the human side of the police service so that kids don't just see us as an authoritative body. If they do report things, they get labelled a grass. Hopefully in time they will have the confidence to approach Freddy. We have had issues with anti-social behaviour but it is down to a small minority of kids. Most of them don't want to give their school a bad name."

Bhavani Vadde