SECONDARY school pupils in North Devon are being asked to take part in "anti-social behaviour clinics" as part of a drive to cut nuisance antics and crimes — in classrooms and on the streets.

Kate Johns, from Safer North Devon, a public organisation which helps to co-ordinate the way public organisations respond to crime, developed the idea to hold the clinics.

She said the aim was to deal with behaviour problems among teenagers at the earliest possible stage.

A pilot project at Ilfracombe College has been declared a success and all secondary schools in North Devon will now be able to take part, although the clinics are not compulsory.

During the pilot, the school was asked to identify the five pupils most in need of help to change their behaviour. Then, each pupil took part in a half-hour meeting with a specialist "youth intervention" police officer, as well as parents and a local police community support officer (PCSO) already designated to keep an eye on the school.

The meetings are designed to take place every half-term in the bigger schools and every term in the smaller schools.

Ms Johns said the problems tackled would be at the more serious end of the scale, and could include bullying, severely disruptive behaviour, and repeated exclusions.

"At the clinic, the officer will talk about any issues. It's not a formal structure; it depends on the young person's needs," she said.

"An action plan is written at the clinic and the officer will send a copy to the school and any agencies which have been referred.

"They will follow that up and make sure any actions will be followed up."

Once the problems have been identified at the meeting, an action plan is written, which suggests possible solutions. If a pupil has a problem with alcohol or drugs, for example, a relevant agency can become involved.

In addition, parents could be offered "parenting classes". If pupils do not change their ways, they can be handed an anti-social behaviour order (Asbo).

So far, Park School in Barnstaple, Bideford College, and Torrington Community School have signed-up for the clinics, and other schools are thought to be interested.

Ms Johns said it would be difficult to measure the success or otherwise of the clinics because there could be many reasons for changes in behaviour, including improvements in a teenager's home life, for example.

But in each case, the police officers involved will evaluate the interventions six months after the first clinic.

She added: "The young people have reacted very well to the clinics in Ilfracombe."

Safer North Devon hopes the clinics will encourage better communication between the police and schools, and other agencies, and cut exclusion levels overall.

Parents will also be asked to be actively involved at every stage.