Should phone theft be a priority? Some members of the public say that London’s status as a global crime capital is a national disgrace, with phone swiping one of the most prominent offences.
Police crackdown on e-bike phone ‘swipers’
Snatch and grab: According to the BBC, three-quarters of all the phones stolen in the UK are now taken in London. Comprehension quiz
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Explain the main reason for the media frenzy surrounding crime in London, and provide a statistic that supports the increase in crime.
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Which word is the closest synonym for “lucrative”?
A: Dangerous
B: Profitable
C: Difficult
D: Illegal
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According to the Metropolitan Police, what is London the “European capital” for, and how many incidents of this crime were recorded last year?
A: Violent crime, with 6% fewer incidents than the previous year.
B: Mobile phone theft, with a record 80,000 phones stolen.
C: Gang-related activity, with the discovery of a global criminal network.
D: Pickpocketing, with thousands of incidents reported by victims.
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The article provides a statistic that highlights the massive scope of phone theft in London compared to the entire continent. What is this fact?
A: London police discovered shipments of tens of thousands of stolen phones going to China.
B: Phone thieves can make around £300 per device, which is triple the minimum wage for a day’s work.
C: A raid last month identified a global criminal network using secondhand shops as middlemen.
D: Data suggests that London accounts for as many as “two-fifths” of all Europe’s mobile phone thefts.
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Which two measures has the Labour government and an MP suggested to combat the phone theft “epidemic”?
A: Giving police new powers to search homes without a warrant for stolen phones.
B: Asking mobile phone companies to block stolen phones within 48 hours of a police report.
C: Telling those who approach police about a missing device to temper their expectations.
D: Conducting raids to identify global criminal networks and middlemen.
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Do you agree that the increase in crime in London is a “national disgrace”? Explain your reasoning, providing at least one concrete example from the text to support your viewpoint.
Answers
Tap to reveal
1: The 31% increase in recorded crime over the past decade, as well as viral social media videos., 2: B, 3: B, 4: D, 5: A and B, 6: Your view!
1: The 31% increase in recorded crime over the past decade, as well as viral social media videos., 2: B, 3: B, 4: D, 5: A and B, 6: Your view!
Glossary
Diatribe - An angry speech that severely criticises something.
Misogynistic - Strong and deeply ingrained prejudice against women.
Purporting - Appear to be or do something, especially falsely.
Staple - An important part of. A "staple diet" means the food, such as potatoes, pasta, or rice, that someone mainly lives on.
Dickensian - Relating to or characteristic of the novels of Charles Dickens, especially his vivid descriptions of poverty, social injustice, and harsh living or working conditions in Victorian England.
heist - Theft or, more accurately, armed robbery
Lucrative - Profitable, or something that makes a lot of money.
Temper - To neutralise something.
Epidemic - A widespread disease or infection.