When you are away from home

Eight out of ten burglaries occur… . So don’t advertise your absence when you’re on holiday, or even at work or shopping. Instead, fit time switches – … – to turn your lights on after dark.

Don’t leave valuable items such as TV or video… . During the day, keep the items out of sight; at night draw the curtains.

Ask a friend or neighbour to keep an eye on the house while you’re on holiday, to collect mail left in the letterbox, …, even mow the lawn and generally make the house looked lived in.

Thieves look for portable, high-value, easily saleable goods. One excellent way to protect items is … showing your postcode, the number of your house or flat or the first two letters of its name. Put a sticker – available from police stations – in a front window … . The sticker will make them think twice. The marking makes it harder for a thief …, and easier for the police to return the property to you if it is found.

Keep a list too of the serial numbers of your television, video and hi-fi equipment. The numbers will be useful if… .

1. when you sleep at night

2. you need to make an insurance claim

3. to sell your property to a dealer

4. to mark them with an indelible identification

5. when a house or flat is empty

6. available from shops

7. sweep up leaves

8. visible through the window

9. you file a complaint of being burgled

10. to tell thieves that your property is marked

b) When people leave their houses, either for short or long periods, they often leave tell-tale signs for burglars which show that they are not at home. Make a list of 5-10 tell-tale signs. The example is given below.

1. Newspapers are not cancelled.

c) Read the text again. Fill in the table given below. Compare the results with groupmates.

Protecting your home

What people should do to avoid being burgled	How people can help the police find their stolen goods if they are burgled

d) Share your experience and tell what you usually do to protect your home.

21. Put either ROB or STEAL in the sentences below.

1. Last night an armed gang … the post office. They … $2000.

2.Myhandbag … atthetheatreyesterday.

3. Every year large numbers of banks … .

4. Jane … of the opportunity to stand for president.

5. Her younger sister was accused of … money.

6. Are you not ashamed of …the first grade kids?

7.They’ve … our liberty.

8.The thieves … the passengers of all their money and jewels.

9.Television has … the cinema of its former popularity.

10.Romeo came under the balcony of Juliet and … her hear.

11.She was sure it was Mike who … the new DVD-player from her.

12. This car wasn’t exactly a … at this price.

22. a) Read the letter of police complaint and match the paragraphs (A-F) to the definition (1-6)

1. Explain what happened.

2. Give your reason for writing.

3. Say what you want and expect to be done.

4. End with a polite, formal expression.

5.Start your letter formally.

6. Request to acknowledge receipt of the complaint (not obligatory).

To

The Officer-in-charge

Trivandrum Police Station (North),

Trivandrum, Kerala.

April 14, 2014

Sub: Theft in the house

A – Respected sir,

B – I am Eve Sethi, currently residing at Star Line, 5, Kerala. I have to lodge a complaint about our home being burgled last night.

C – This petty theft took place in our house on the ground floor on April 13, 2014. No one stays on the ground floor. There are two rooms on the ground floor, in which we keep some articles which are rarely required for use, such as some utensils made of brass or stainless steel, some tools, some old furniture's etc. The thieves broke open the lock of one of the rooms, and robbed some of the utensils worth about two thousand rupees. We came to know about the theft in the morning that is today.

D - Please treat this note as an official complaint, and record it in the F.I.R. You are requested to interrogate the local suspects and black-listed fellows to find out a clue to this theft, and take necessary legal action in this regard.

E - Please acknowledge receipt of this complaint, quoting the F.I.R. number with date assigned to it.

F – Thanking you,

Yours faithfully

Eve Sethi

Contact number: 54-67-231

b) Write a letter of police complaint. The situations are given below. Remember to use polite, formal language, structure and layout your letter correctly. Use your own ideas.

1. Recently you lost your iPhone at a public gathering place. You suspect it was lost from your pocket while getting up from a chair or it was stolen by someone from your pocket or bag. After blocking outgoing calls from the mobile number, you filed a complaint to the police. Youwere expecting the police would trace the phone and were concerned about the phone being abused by the person who stole or got it.

2. Recently you lost your iPad at a local Wi-Fi café. You suspect it was taken by some visitor or a café staff from your table while you were washing your hands. The interrogation of the waiters, the barman and the café visitors who were in the hall was unsuccessful. So, you filed a complaint to the police. You were expecting the police would trace the iPad and return you this valuable thing.