Discussion

Task 1. True or false?

1. Ignorance of the law is a defence for breaking it.

2. The mere presence of the police is a factor in deterring people from committing offences.

3. Any evidence, either legally or illegally obtained, is valid in court.

4. Police officers are always armed.

5. Governments may also make use of the army to enforce the law.

Task 2. List as many functions of the police as you can think of.

Task 3. Describe the ways which governments have to make sure that citizens obey the law.

Task 4. Speak about the Russian police forces. Answer the questions:

1. Does your country have an independent, honest police force?

2. Are police officers armed in your country? Do you think it's good or bad?

3. Do the police have judicial functions in your country?

d) Does the Russian policeman enjoys a trusted, respected and friendly relationship with the public or is there a dramatic decline in public confidence? Your neighbours have great respect for the police, don’t they?

e) How often do you see policemen in your neighbourhood? Do you know your district inspector?

f) Many people feel they are always being protected adequately by the police. Do you agree with this statement?

g) The Russian police force is not a source of great pride. Why? (Rising crime rates, scandals about falsified evidence and perjury, corruption, racism insensitive policing hostile to ethnic minorities)

h) What are the ways of improving public attitude towards police forces in RF?

Listening Comprehension

Task 1.

a Listen to the dialogue. Match the columns to form the dialogue.

1. Good afternoon, sir. What can I do for you?	a Michael Crawford.
2. Right. I’ll just take some details. What is your name?	b I want to report a theft. My briefcase was stolen.
3. When and where did the theft take place?	c I don’t think so.
4. Now, can you tell me exactly what happened?	d Well…I was drinking a cup of coffee. My briefcase was under the table. I left the table for a moment and when I returned my briefcase was gone.
5. Did anyone witness the theft, sir?	e About 15 minutes ago, at the Cornmill Café on Chapel Street.
6. Please fill in this form with your details, a description of the briefcase and a full list of the contents.

b Take roles and make up similar dialogues. Think about:

• what was taken

• when/where it happened

• the event in detail

Task 2. Listen to the news reports and match each person with the crime described, then write headlines for each news report.

1 John Pierce a fraud

2 Sally Smith b terrorism

3 Ann Daniels c blackmail

4 Tom Corman d joyriding

5 Jerry Parr e drug trafficking

Task 3. Listen to the radio announcement and fill in the table below. Using the notes, describe each suspect; then, write each suspect’s description.

Suspect 1 Suspect 2

Height	short	tall
Build	quite muscular	skinny
Age	……	……
Complexion	tanned	……
Face	……	square
Hair	thick, ……, grey	short, ……
Eyes	……	slanting
Nose	crooked	curved
Lips	thin	……
Special features	walks with a limp	……

Task 4. Listen to the news report and fill in the gaps.

"Yesterday morning Gregory Briggs appeared in Shellsby Crown Court

1) ……… of robbery. The judge 2) ……… him to ten years in prison.

Briggs was 3) ……… last May as he was trying to rob Lloyds Bank in Shellsby. One 4) ……… told reporters that Briggs had run into the bank holding a gun and threatened to shoot everyone unless the manager gave him all the money in the safe. Fortunately 5) ……… Gary Thomas, who happened to be in the bank at the time, was able to grab Briggs 6) ……… before he had a chance to hurt anyone.

As Briggs walked into the courtroom yesterday morning with his lawyer, he 7) ……… having broken the 8) ……… and told reporters that he was 9) ……… . However, after hearing the witnesses and seeing the evidence supplied by the bank's security cameras, the jury quickly came to the conclusion that Briggs was 10) …… .

Last night Police Chief John Brown praised Thomas for his brave arrest of the violent criminal and for preventing what might have turned into a tragedy."

Task 5. Listen to Chief Inspector Ronald Lewis advising people on how to protect themselves from certain types of crime and fill in the table below. Listen again and give a short talk on the topic

mugging	carry a personal …………………………… attend ……………………………… classes
kidnapping	teach children not to talk to ……………….. if approached by strangers, they should go to the nearest ……………………………… place if you can afford it, hire a …………………...
car theft	fit an ……………………………… system park in an ……………………….. car park make sure your car is securely ……………

Task 6. Listen to the following street survey about the rise in crime and fill in the table below. Looking at your notes, give a one-minute talk on the rise in crime, then write about it. Start like this: One of the main reasons that there is a rise in crime is unemployment. Some people may turn to crime ….

Use expressions such as: first of all, what is more, another reason, finally etc.

unemployment	some people may turn to crime as an easy way of …………………….
advertisements	some people end up ……… things they want but they can’t …………...
TV programmes	too much violence on TV makes young people more likely to act in a ……… way in real life criminals are shown in a way that makes them and their lifestyle look glamorous and ……………………
social pressures	teenagers have to commit petty crimes, such as shoplifting, in order to ……… by the gang once you begin a life of crime it can be very difficult to ………………...

Task 7. You will hear a news bulletin. For questions 1 – 7 choose the correct answer A, B, or C.

1. The first news item is about 5. The parents of the vandals

A a murder A were given a warning

B a kidnapping B had to pay for the damage

C a robbery C had to buy new cars

2. Richard Steen’s wife is believed to 6. What did the Paterson family

A be dead first think was causing the noise

B be searching for her husband A the water system

C have gone to another country B a ghost

3. Glenda Branston was kidnapped C an animal

A as she was arriving at her office 7. When did Rosie the Chimp

B as she was leaving home disappear from the zoo?

C as she was leaving work A three weeks ago

4. The vandals were aged between B four weeks ago

A six and thirteen C this morning

B eight and thirteen

C eight and thirty

Task 8. You will hear a talk given by a police to a group of parents. For questions 1-10, fill in the missing information.

Bogus callers gain entry by first 1 ________ and then 2_____________

People easily believe representatives of 3 ________________________

Other callers may pretend to 4 _________________________________

The front door should be fitted with 5____________________________

Official callers must first 6 ____________________________________

If in doubt, you can 7_________________________________________

A bogus caller could be working with another through 8_____________

As an added security measure some companies use a 9_______________

You can also judge callers by 10 ________________________________

Task 9.

Part 1. Listen the first letter and answer the following questions:

1. Is it friendly or formal?

2. How does it begin and end?

3. What is the reason for writing the letter?

4. How does the author propose to make up for the damage?

5. What kind of documents has he enclosed?

Part 2. Listen the second letter and answer the following questions:

1. Is it friendly or formal?

2. How does it begin and end?

3. What is the reason for writing the letter?

4. Why can’t one judge people according to their appearance?

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