PUPILS from a Hornsey school took part in a business competition this week to tackle gun and knife crime.

The event, held at Harrow School, in Harrow on the Hill, included 23 schools from across London for the regional LionHeart Challenge and included Year 9 students from the Greig City College, in High Street.

The LionHeart Challenge is a national enterprise programme, which encourages schoolchildren to create business ideas to invent new products with the aim of reaching the national final of the competition.

The schools at the event on Tuesday created ideas to combat gun and knife crime and later in the day presented their pitch to a panel of judges.

Pupil Duraly Kayar, 15, said: “We created a bracelet, which has a panic attack button, a camera and a GPS system.

“It’s linked to the police so when anyone is in trouble they can press the button, take a picture of the person attacking them and the police can track exactly where they are.”

“There are a lot of gangs around and working on something like this project is beneficial to tackling gun and knife crime.”

Teacher Maureen Arhagba, head of faculty for business, social and vocational education, said: “The day has taught the pupils how to work together, create an idea and then present it to others working to deadline.

“The message is to understand what you need to be enterprising and that no one person has it.

“You have to work together and work out what assets each person has. The task builds confidence and the subject of tackling knife and gun crime is a particularly relevant one to today’s society.”

Claire McDonald, managing director of The Lionheart Challenge, said: “It’s been a fantastic opportunity for the pupils to think of ideas that would benefit them personally and improve their own safety. It couldn’t have been a better subject for children their age.

“It also gave them the opportunity to use business skills to further their ideas.”