The UK Government has launched a nation-wide campaign to help kids steer clear of mobile phone crime.

Youngsters between 11 and 14 will be able to get their hands on a CD-ROM called "Out of Your Hands?" which provides information on how to help stop them becoming victims of mobile phone crime.

The "learning resource" - funded jointly by the Government and the Mobile Industry Crime Action Forum (MICAF) - is being distributed to all schools in the UK and contains hints and tips on being safe, including what to do if a mobile phone is lost or stolen.

The interactive program also warns of the consequences of youngsters becoming involved in mobile phone crime.

Launching the initiative Home Office Minister, Hazel Blears, said: "We are committed to reducing the level of mobile phone theft and the CD-Rom will show young people what they can do to avoid becoming a victim of crime."

Last year a report by the Home Office found that school kids were five times more likely to be victims of mobile phone thefts than adults. The report also found that in many cases it is young people who are responsible for the thefts.

What's more, the problem could get worse with the steady growth of mobile phone use by young people.

According to one estimates half a million kids in the UK under the age of ten will have a mobile phone by the end of next year. ®

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