Techniques for solving crimes.

As long as there has been crime, there have been ways to solve it. One of the oldest methods is interrogation, a method in which the police question people who might have committed the crime or who might have information about the crime. Interrogation can help the police to establish many basic facts. But modern techniques for solving crime include more complex scientific methods.

Let us first consider a system often called “crime hotlines”. In some cases, where law enforcement personnel have difficulty finding a criminal, they turn to private citizens for help in solving a crime. This system allows people to make a phone call or access a website and give information to the police anonymously. This can often be effective when people are afraid to give information in public. Sometimes a family member may have committed the crime and another family member finally decides to call the police and give the information they have.

Second comes fingerprinting. Each person’s fingerprint is unique. The ancient Chinese used fingerprints to sign legal papers. What better way to identify an individual? Yet it was only in the late nineteenth century that fingerprints were first used to identify criminals. A variety of scientific techniques make it possible for fingerprints to be “lifted” from most surfaces. Then they can be compared to fingerprints the police have on file.

A relatively new technique that crime fighters are now using is called psychological profiling. Criminal psychologists look at the crime and the way it was committed. Based on this information, they try to understand the personality and motivation of the person who committed the crime. Then they can focus their search on people who match this profile.

In some cases, private citizens are finding ways to solve crime as well. With a little knowledge of electronics, anyone can put hidden cameras in a home or office. In the 1990s, as an example there were some cases where nannies were accused of abusing the children they were paid to care for. Hidden cameras were used to prove the nannies’ guilt. However, the technique is controversial because it involves issues of privacy.

Finally, let us discuss DNA. Of the most recent crime-solving techniques used, DNA is proving very effective. Each person, with the exception of identical siblings, has a unique DNA coding system. So, if criminals leave anything that can be tested at the scene of a crime – such as blood or hair – they can be identified. DNA was used to solve a crime for the first time in England in 1987. Since that time, it has become widely used and is considered ninety-nine percent accurate. DNA testing can also be used to prove that a person is innocent. Many prisoners have been released because the DNA evidence proves that they didn’t commit the crime of which they were convicted.

Task 1. Using the context and your knowledge of related words, choose the best synonym for the words in bold by circling the correct letters.

1. As long as there has been crime, there have been ways to solve it.

afind and catch the criminals

b prevent and record crime

c prosecute and punish crime

2. One of the oldest methods is interrogation.

a interview

b discussion

cquestioning

3. This system allows people to give information to the police anonymously.

a in person

b without giving their names

cusing the telephone

4. In some cases, law enforcement personnel have difficulty finding a criminal.

amembers of the public

bwitnesses

c members of the police

5. Each person’s fingerprint is unique.

a individual

bsimilar

crecognizable

6. It was only in the late nineteenth century that fingerprints were first used to identify criminals.

a find the motive of

bestablish the identity of

c locate the position of

7. There were some cases where nannies were accused of abusing the children they were paid

to take care of.

afriends

brelatives

c babysitters

8. Each person, with the exception of identical siblings, has a unique DNA coding system.

a brothers and sisters

b relatives

ctwins

Task 2. Answer the following questions.

1. What is interrogation and how is it helpful?

2. Who is likely to use a “crime hotline” system, and why?

3. Why are fingerprints one of the most useful tools in crime investigations?

4. What does psychological profiling involve?

5. What is controversial about hidden cameras form of crime detection?

6. Is the DNA analysis technique always accurate?

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