What’s the crime?

A. Match the crimes and the descriptions.

a. Attacking someone in a public place and stealing something from them (e.g. a wallet or a
1) vandalism handbag).
2) manslaughter b. Stealing anything.
3) pickpocketing c. Entering a building (e.g. private house) illegally to steal something (e.g. money, DVD
4) mugging player, jewellery).
5) burglary d. Breaking or damaging public property (e.g. breaking windows, writing graffiti on walls).
6) shoplifting e. Stealing from a shop – taking things without paying for them.
7) robbery f. Stealing from a public place like a bank or a post office, often with violence (e.g. with guns
8) kidnapping or knives)
9) theft g. Killing someone with intention (you wanted to kill the person).
10) murder h. Killing someone without intention (e.g. you drive while you are drunk and kill someone).
i. Stealing a person (e.g. a child) and asking for money before you give the child back.
j. Stealing from someone’s pocket or handbag – they don’t see it.

B. Read about the following crimes. Can you identify the crime that was committed in each case?

Someone came into my sister’s house a month ago while everyone was sleeping. They got in through the
kitchen window and they stole her laptop and her i-phone. …………………………………………

Some people broke the glass on the bus stop near my house. …………………………………………

My mother was walking down the High Street at 10 o’clock one night. Suddenly two men attacked her –
they hit her on the face and took her handbag. Then they ran away. She was very shocked.
…………………………………………

Two men walked into the bank near my house. They had guns and they stole £25,000 from the bank. Their
friend was waiting outside with a car and drove them away. …………………………………………

Sara went into a clothes shop and took a scarf. She put it in her bag and she walked out of the shop
without paying for it. …………………………………………

Alina works in an office. One day she saw a wallet on a desk. There was £100 in the wallet. She stole the
wallet and kept the money. …………………………………………

Ahmed is a rich businessman. Someone ‘stole’ his three year old daughter. They sent him a message asking
him to give them £1 million to get his daughter back. They said they would kill his daughter if he didn't give
them the money. …………………………………………

Zeynep was standing on the bus because it was very crowded. When she got off the bus she saw that her
purse wasn’t in her bag. Someone had stolen it. She didn't see the person steal it.
…………………………………………

Emad’s wife was having an affair with another man. Emad made a plan. He went out and bought a gun, and
shot his wife and the other man. …………………………………………

Boris and Khaled had a fight. Boris hit Khaled in the face. Khaled fell over and hit his head on a table. A
short time later he died. Boris didn't want to kill him but he was wrong to hit him.
…………………………………………
 Conversational English

Questions from law-breakers or suspected criminals

 Why did you pull me over?

 Have I done something wrong?
 Is this illegal?
 What are my rights?
 Can I call a lawyer?
 Where are you taking me?
 Can I make a phone call?

Questions police may ask a suspected criminal

 Are you carrying any illegal drugs?

 Do you have a weapon?
 Does this belong to you?
 Whose car is this?
 Where were you at eight last night?

Informing someone of laws and police procedures

 You are under arrest.

 Put your hands on your head.
 I am taking you to the police station.
 Please get in the police car.
 You will have to pay a fine for this.
 I will give you a warning this time.
 I'm going to write you a ticket.
 We'll tow your car to the station.
 Smoking in restaurants is illegal in this country.
 It is against the law to do drugs in public.
Read through the descriptions of the crimes, then choose the name of the crime for
each. Write the letter of the crime (A-H) for each. There are two crime names you do
not need.

A. Hijacking

B. Mugging

C. Shoplifting

D. Vandalism

E. Murder

F. Forgery

G. Robbery

H. Burglary

1. Several cars were damaged last night downtown, and graffiti was sprayed on

the walls of the Town Hall.

2. The money, $27,000 was taken from the safe by two men carrying guns and

wearing masks. Police have no clues as to who committed this crime.

3. The young lady, age 21 from Paris, was caught with 3 t-shirts in her bag which

she hadn't paid for. She was immediately arrested.

4. The upstairs bedroom window was smashed and the TV was taken, as well as

the stereo, video recorder and $1700 in cash.

5. The pilot was knocked unconscious and the plane was taken over by four

women who demanded political asylum in New Zealand.

6. The men were discovered in their home with a printing press and over 10,000

almost perfect copies of the new $10 bill.

Answers: 1 – d; 2 – g; 3 – c; 4 – h; 5 – a; 6 - f.
What’s the Difference Between
Burglary and Robbery?

Jennifer McCaffery

It's important to know the difference between these two crimes to help
protect yourself.

Irina Rogova/Shutterstock

If a person breaks into your home and steals your TV, is it burglary or robbery? Lots of
people use the terms interchangeably, but legally, the crimes mean different things and
carry different penalties. One thing’s for sure: you don’t want either to happen to you.

So what is the difference between robbery and burglary? Most people associate both
terms with theft. But as it turns out, burglary occurs when a person enters a building for
the purpose of committing a crime. They might steal something, but they could also
commit other crimes, such as arson or vandalism, and it’s still a burglary, according to
the home security firm Protect America. In legal terms, burglary is synonymous with
“breaking and entering.” Don’t miss these signs that a burglar is casing out your home.

Robbery, on the other hand, means that an assailant is forcing or threatening to force
another person to give up something. So if a person demands that you give him your
wallet, that’s what’s known as robbery. And if the person uses a gun or another weapon
while demanding the wallet, that elevates the crime to armed robbery.

Here are some more examples of the difference between theft, burglary, and robbery:

 Theft: If a person came into a pharmacy and put a package of cold medication in
their bag and left without paying for it, that would be a theft.
 Burglary: If a person waited until the pharmacy was closed, broke in through a
back window, and took some cold medication, that would be burglary.
 Robbery: If a person came into a pharmacy and demanded the cashier turn over
some cold medicine, that’s what’s known as robbery.

So if someone sneaks into your house and runs off with the TV? That’s burglary. But if
you happened to be at home and the assailant threatened you and demanded the TV,
that’s robbery. Next, find out the sneaky ways burglars can break into your home.

https://www.rd.com/home/difference-between-burglary-and-robbery/