STREET urchins got their collars felt and were given a ticking off in court.

But the youngsters were innocent school pupils and the traditional "Peeler" was a modern-day crime fighter.

Youngsters from Bridgewater Primary School, in Little Hulton, visited Greater Manchester Polices Museum to find out what policing was like in Victorian times.

Dressed in authentic period costumes, they were given a presentation on policing in the 19th century by schools officer PC Shaun Concah before taking part in a re-enactment at the museum's court.

Children visited the museum in Newton Street, Manchester, as part of the school's Victorian Week project, which has seen them learning how to use imperial measurements and writing on slates.

PC Concah said; "This was a great opportunity for the children to learn about the differences between policing in Victorian times and now.

"I wore a traditional Peeler's uniform and showed the children a selection of truncheons, whistles and leg-irons that would have been used in Victorian times."

Duncan Broady, museum curator, said: "The museum is a great resource for bringing the past to life.

"Children can read about Victorian times in textbooks, but by visiting us they can see an authentic Victorian courtroom, charge office and police cells.

"We also explain what would have happened to offenders from arrest through to trial in those times, and this increases children's understanding even further."

The museum is open every Tuesday from 10.30am to 3.30pm, with last admission at 3pm.

It is also open by appointment only on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. The museum is closed at weekends and on public holidays.