Exercise 1

Look at the picture and discuss the

questions in pairs.

• What can you see in the picture?

• What do you think happened?
• What do you think will happen next?

Exercise 2
Complete the sentences with the words from the box.

stealing, on the trail, career criminal, investigation, red-handed,

evidence, face charges for, arrested, criminal convictions

1. We have an emergency call! A group of people is ___________ from a store

down the street right now! - ___________
2. He’s a ___________ but we caught him ___________ when he was trying to
steal a wallet from an old lady. - ___________
3. This is the place where Mrs. Brown was killed, we need to start the
___________. - ___________
4. The suspect will now ___________ misusing funds of a charity organisation.
- ___________
5. The police are ___________ of a suspect who they think has been setting
houses on re in the neighbourhood. - ___________
6. We nally ___________ the suspect who created fake documents and
passports. - ___________
7. The suspects, who had a lot of ___________ in the past, broke into a house
and stole the jewellery. - ___________
8. We have lots of ___________ proving that his company has been cheating
on taxes for 5 years. - ___________

Exercise 3
Match the sentences from Exercise 2 to the types
of crimes from the box.

fraud, robbery, pickpocketing, forgery,

arson, embezzlement, murder, burglary
fi
fi
 Exercise 3
Watch the video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=Xn-5HU1nj3c] and answer the questions about the crime:

1. What happened?
2. Where and when did it happen?
3. Who is the victim?
4. Who are the criminals?
5. How did the criminal get caught?

Exercise 4
Watch the video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn-5HU1nj3c]
again and say how the following words were mentioned:

crew, pickpocket, 1980s, the front door,

crowded, credit card, gift card, vehicle

Exercise 5
Group A: Read two dialogues and say who’s talking in
each of the dialogues.

Dialogue A
A: Attention all units! We have eyes on the suspects involved in
the recent theft. They are currently in Sam’s Club.
B: Move in cautiously and be prepared for any resistance. We
can't a ord to let them get away with it again.
A: This is the police! Come out with your hands up!
C: We give up! Don't shoot!
B: You're under arrest for theft and other related o ences. Drop
any weapons and step forward slowly.
ff
ff
 Dialogue B
A: Hello, this is Sarah. I just witnessed a crime!
B: Thank you for calling, Sarah. Can you please
provide me with the details of what you saw?
A: Yes, I saw a group of people stealing a wallet. It
all happened so quickly! The old lady was just
leaving a restaurant…
B: Can you describe the suspects? How many
were there, and what did they look like?
A: There were three of them. Two men and a
woman. They appeared to be in their fties or
sixties. The men were wearing dark jackets, and the
woman had red hair.
B: We will dispatch o cers to the scene immediately. Please stay on the
line in case we need further information.

Exercise 5
Group B: Read two dialogues and say who’s talking
in each of the dialogues.

Dialogue C
A: We received a call about a theft at the park. An elderly lady had her
wallet stolen by a group of suspects.
B: Could it be the same crew we've been trying to catch? They've been
operating in the area lately.
A: It's highly likely. The description matches…
B: We need to act fast. This crew has been elusive so far, but we have a
chance to catch them now.
A: Agreed. Let's gather the team and coordinate our e orts.

Dialogue D
A: Excuse me, ma'am. Are you Mrs. Jenkins?
B: Yes, I am. Is there something wrong, o cer?
A: I'm O cer Williams from the local police department. I wanted to talk to you
about an incident that occurred earlier today. It seems you were targeted by a
crew of criminals.
B: Oh, my! I had no idea. What happened?
A: Well, ma'am, is it your wallet? We caught the crew and got your wallet. Here
it is.
B: Oh, thank you so much, O cer Williams! I had no clue that my wallet was
missing.
A: It's all part of our job, ma'am. We're here to protect you.
B: Oh, thank you once again for your help!
ffi
ffi
ffi
fi
ffi
ff
 Exercise 6
Change the partners. Put the dialogues in the correct
order to describe the crime.

1. - ______
2. - ______
3. - ______
4. - ______

Exercise 7
Work in the same groups and complete the sentences
with the phrases in bold from the dialogues.

In some sentences, you may want to change the form

of the word.

1. A person who saw the crime happen is called a _____________.

2. When the police _____________ someone, it means they are carefully watching
their actions.
3. If a person is _____________, it means they have been taken into custody by the
police.
4. Criminals hope to _____________ their actions without being caught by the
authorities.
5. When the police receive a report, they _____________ o cers to the
_____________ of the incident.
6. Criminals _____________ in ways that make it hard for the police to catch them.
7. An _____________ criminal is someone who is di cult to nd or catch.
8. The police aim to _____________ criminals and bring them to justice.
9. Police o cers _____________ their _____________ to work together e ectively.
10. It's unfair and troubling for innocent people to be _____________ by criminals.

Exercise 8
In pairs, write your own detective stories using new
vocabulary from Exercise 2 and Exercise 7.

Use the prompts below or your own ideas.

Burglary: a valuable diamond

necklace disappears during a lively
birthday party.

Pickpocketing: skilled pickpockets

steal wallets and valuables from
tourists from Japan.
ffi
ffi
ffi
fi
ff