A FILM making course is being used to teach young people who have been in trouble with the law that crime does not pay.

Guided by the Swindon Youth Offending Team, the youngsters are working together to make a film deterring others from offending.

Using hand-held cameras, the group of ten 11 to 16-year-olds are using The Limes in Green Road as their studio and combining film and animation to get their point across.

Liz Purling, literacy and numeracy mentoring co-ordinator, said the project is being funded by a Crime Beat grant of £500 courtesy of the High Sheriff for Wiltshire, Sir Christopher Benson.

She said: "The project is running over five weeks and the young people are producing a video about mobile phone theft and how it can be prevented, with the aim of showing it in schools.

"The scenario is two mobile phones talking to each other, one with a good owner and one with a bad owner. One is saying what is bad about the other's owner, in how he leaves his phone visible in cars, and suggests how to correct this behaviour.

"It is something the young people came up with and the project is going very well."

Youngsters are learning organisational skills as well as the technicalities of video editing and acting.

Tyrone O'Neill, 13, said: "It's all about teaching people a lesson and urging them not to leave their phones on display in their cars.

"My message to people thinking about committing crime is just don't do it.

"I was hanging around with the wrong people but now I want to try and do my own thing."

Lee Peck, 12, said: "The project is cool. They teach you how to make a film and the message is about crime and about phones going missing. People who commit crime are sad, and the message is that they should stop."

Jonathan Butcher, 15, added: "This is a good thing that gets people away from hanging around and getting into trouble."

Sir Christopher Benson, High Sheriff for Wiltshire, said: "I'm very impressed with what I've seen, and I'm even in the film. I play a victim of crime and I didn't like the feeling very much. I hope the video will get the young people involved in something and send out a positive message.

"If youngsters can think about the effects of crime on the community and on people it has got to be a good thing."