YOUNG people across Cheshire have taken part in a football tournament in a bid to tackle knife crime and anti-social behaviour.

On Saturday, 160 youngsters aged 13-16 visited Halton Stadium in Widnes from each of Cheshire Constabulary’s eight Local Policing Units (LPUs).

The event was part of the national KickOff@3 initiative, which was started by an officer in the MET Police.

Runcorn and Widnes World: The match in actionThe match in action

All the money raised from the tournament went to Halton Haven Hospice and Young Addaction Halton.

The winners of the tournament were, Widnes Warrirors in the 13-14 age group, and Liera Tangos (Runcorn) in 15-16 age group.

Both teams will now represent Cheshire at the national KickOff@3 finals in London in July.

Runcorn and Widnes World: The Liera TangosThe Liera Tangos

PCSO Paul Barker, who organised the tournament, said: "It was a superb day.

"There was some very competitive football on display and it was a fantastic way to engage with youngsters from across the county about knife crime and other criminal activity and give young people a positive view of the police.

"We even had a team made up of Syrian refugees who have resettled in the UK who really enjoyed the day.

"The fact that we also raised more than £1,000 for two good causes was the icing on the cake."

Runcorn and Widnes World: The Widnes WarriorsThe Widnes Warriors

Inspector Fez Khan, from Runcorn LPU, said: "The police play a part in enforcing knife crime but the public are a massive partner in this as well and we need everyone to speak to their families and friends to educate them about the dangers of knife crime.

"We have done a lot of work in the community to help tackle this and try to bring the community together because this is not something that the police can tackle on their own.

"We want to keep people safe and if the community know someone who is not listening to us and carrying a knife, then the public need to let us know."