EASTENDERS actor Shaun Williamson stars in a new police video aimed at preventing young people from committing crime.

Maidstone and Malling Police produced the video entitled Is It Really Worth It? to help tackle the growing problems of criminal damage, arson and graffiti.

It is narrated by the actor, who plays Barry Evans in the BBC soap and stars 15-year-old Tom Ring, a pupil at Oldborough Manor School in Loose.

The 13-minute video, which is aimed at 11 to 13-year-olds, features Tom being dramatically arrested at his home and taken to Maidstone Police Station, where he is put through the full arrest procedure.

Shaun Williamson, who officially launched the video on Thursday, December 4, said: "It was a pleasure to be asked to do this video. These are traditionally viewed as minor crimes but they affect all of our day to day lives.

"I think it helps if there is someone from EastEnders involved. It means young people might listen to the message a bit more carefully."

The video cost just £450 to make and was scripted and filmed by Kent Police's television unit. It was shot on location in Maidstone, including a scene in a stairwell at the Chequers Shopping Centre when Tom sets off a fire extinguisher.

It also shows how CCTV can be used to detect crime, when cameras spot Tom drawing graffiti in one of the town's subways.

PC Martin Carter, a youth crime reduction officers at Maidstone, is hoping the video will eventually be used in schools across the country.

He said: "It is a bit of an eye-opener. A lot of the pupils have seen how it is on The Bill and other TV dramas, but we show how daunting it really is to be arrested.

"They don't realise the seriousness of these offences and the potential action that can be taken against them."

The video will be shown in schools across the Maidstone and Malling area, and PCs will be on-hand to answer pupils' questions.