RESIDENTS in Hartlepool are being asked what they think of television screens broadcasting community safety messages.

A questionnaire is being distributed by the Safer Hartlepool Partnership to discover if the screens are having an impact.

Messages are currently being broadcast at the Civic Centre, Bryan Hanson House, Mill House Leisure Centre, the accident and emergency department at the University Hospital of Hartlepool and Middleton Grange Shopping Centre.

If the scheme receives positive feedback then more televisions are likely to be installed at more venues across the town.

The screens show rolling footage from Cleveland Police, Cleveland Fire Brigade, North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust, Hartlepool Borough Council, Housing Hartlepool and other voluntary agencies.

Messages include potentially life-saving fire safety advice, information on anti-social behaviour, advice on how to tackle criminal damage, domestic abuse information and details of neighbourhood policing.

Brian Neale, crime and disorder co-ordinator for the Safer Hartlepool Partnership, said: "The primary aim was to alert people to issues which could result in them becoming a victim of crime as well as giving us the chance to promote safety advice and highlight our partnership activities."