Police are hoping to tackle anti-social behaviour in and around Marlow by launching an “exciting” scheme aimed at more than 500 primary school children.

Thames Valley Police and Wycombe District Council are working together to launch Community Cop Cards for Marlow and the Southwest rural areas of the district in April.

The £5,000 scheme – which is being funded entirely through donations from businesses and organisations – gives Year Six pupils the opportunity to complete activities to collect up to 24 stickers.

The stickers available will cover a variety of topics including personal and cyber safety, anti-social behaviour, first aid and fire safety.

A local history sticker will also be added to the community project, giving youngsters a chance to visit the district museum, photograph Marlow Bridge or West Wycombe Caves or take part in a VE-Day parade.

Holy Trinity, Foxes Piece, Spinfield, Danesfield and Frieth School are among those taking part in the Marlow area, along with Cadmore End School, Claytons Primary School in Bourne End and The Meadows School in Wooburn Green.

Police say they are targeting this age group before they progress to secondary school, with youth anti-social behaviour a “top priority” in the Marlow and Bourne End areas.

The children, who will be competing against classes in other schools, will be able to win a trip to Legoland Windsor or a sports party at Court Garden Leisure Complex in Pound Lane.

Marlow Town Council have also given the project their support, agreeing to donate £500 towards the costs of getting it up and running.

At a meeting of the town council on March 14, cllr Richard Scott said he “totally supported” the scheme.

Addressing Marlow mayor, Bob Johnson, cllr Suzanne Brown added: “In the year of you as mayor, supporting youth, I think this is really good because it is targeting schools and them to helping to reduce anti-social behaviour. This is a really positive message for us as a town council to be giving.”

Cllr Kathy Thompson said: “There is a massive anti-social behaviour problem on a Saturday night in the town, we have seen smashed shops. I think this is terribly important.”

Cop Cards were first started by the Metropolitan Police and launched in the Thames Valley in 2009 but had to be cut due to a lack of funding.

In 2015, the project was relaunched by the neighbouring Chiltern and South Bucks neighbourhood team, with statistics showing an 80 per cent decrease in anti-social behaviour from 2014 to 2015.