Secondary school students took up an invitation from the Bexley Council for Racial Equality to give their take on why there is racial tension among the borough's young people.

THE most worrying thing to be revealed at the conference was today's schoolchildren put safety as their main concern.

The conference, which was held in the council chamber at Bexley's civic offices in Bexleyheath Broadway, included speakers from Bexley Council, the police and 13-year-old student Amar Amayo.

Young people from seven schools got the opportunity to have their say on teen gangs, multiculturalism and racist disorder.

Amar, a pupil at St Catherine's Catholic Girls' School in Watling Street, Bexleyheath, began her contribution with the story of how she was excluded from her best friend's ninth birthday party because the girl's mother "didn't want black people in her house".

She went on: "I have faced this sort of thing in the Broadway; groups of people shouting RA Rules' and trying to intimidate us.

"They have pushed against me and started laughing and we are not able to do anything because we are outnumbered."

She told her audience: "I cannot stand racism. I don't understand why colour is relevant.

"If we hope to stop it, we don't just have to change how people act, but how they think."

Amar spoke about her school and the efforts it makes to bring its large racial mix of pupils together.

But she said when pupils have free time, they split back into their ethnic groups.

She said: "I'm not sure why, it is just something we do."

Superintendent Martin Bagg, from Bexleyheath police, told the conference there was a real concern about youth gangs such as T Block, the Cherry Boys and the RA, which have an undercurrent of racism.

Supt Bagg showed the conference CCTV footage of the mini-riot in Welling in April this year and detailed the punishment received by those who took part.

He cautioned against stereotyping people either by their colour, age or their way of life.

Supt Bagg said: "Extremists feed on people's fears and exploit negative stereotypes.

"We want to know why young people behave like this and we need the help of young people.

"We want to know what you think we should be doing and what you are going to commit to doing about it."

After listening to speakers from Bexley Council, including cabinet member for community affairs Councillor Katie Perrior, the conference split into workshops.

These included a variety of subjects such as gang culture, anti-social behaviour and a young person's perspective of racism Bexley Council for Racial Equality (BCRE) director Lux Anandarajah says the results of the workshops will be evaluated and used to draw up a list of recommendations.

He said: "The conference was an innovative way of doing things, but it was only the start."

Mr Anandarajah says the BCRE hopes to hold similar, bigger events in the future.