You´re already well equipped to prevent crime
Everyone comes with their own built-in burglar alarm. It´s called the sense of sight and sound.
Unfortunately, many of us go around with the alarm switched off.
We don´t see the stranger loitering outside the house next door. We overlook the kids trying the car doors. We don´t notice the sounds from the flat upstairs. (Weren´t they supposed to be on holiday?)
The police can only do so much to prevent crime.
There never can be enough of them to guard every home in every town. So they need your help in combating the burglars, the vandals, the car thieves.
Not, of course, by setting out to "have a go" every time you see something suspicious. It´ll always be the job of the police to arrest criminals. But you can help by acting as a line of communication between them and your community.
For instance, you probably know far more about your immediate neighbourhood than the police ever could. A stranger in someone´s garden would probably be far more obvious to you than it would be to the local bobby. Providing, of course, you were on the look-out.
And that´s the whole idea behind the Neighbourhood Watch schemes now springing up around the country. To create a spirit of watchfulness within a community, anything suspicious being reported to the police.
It´s early days yet, but results so far are very encouraging. The crime figures are already dropping in many of the areas running a scheme.
And all due to people like you.
Don´t let them get away with it.
-- From the Central Office of information
1 The purpose of the advertisement is to
A warn people about the increasing risk of crime. B encourage people to join the police force.
C advise people how to protect their homes from crime. D explain how people can assist the police.
2 The advertisement points out that many people
A are not very keen to co-operate with the police. B are not as observant as they could be.
C don´t control their children properly. D don´t tell their neighbours about their holidays.
3 One of the ways we could help prevent crime is to
A keep the alarm system in our home turned on. B try to stop criminals from escaping.
C watch out for people behaving suspiciously. D inform the police if we hear noises upstairs.
4 One disadvantage the police have is that they
A don´t know local people personally. B are too busy arresting criminals.
C know communities less well then residents do. D can´t see what´s happening in people´s gardens.
