The police

When someone commits a crime (= breaks the law and does something illegal/against the law/wrong), the police do a number of things.

They investigate the crime (= try to find out what happened and who is responsible). If they catch (= find) the person they believe is responsible for the crime, they will arrest them (= take them to the police station because they think the person has committed the crime).

At the police station, they question them (= ask them questions).

If they are sure that the person committed the crime, the person is charged with the crime (= the police make an official statement that they believe the person committed the crime).

For a serious crime (e.g. murder), the person must then go to court for trial.

In court, the defendant must try to prove (= provide facts to show something is true) that they did not commit the crime. In other words, they must try to prove that they are innocent ( opp. guilty). Twelve members of the public (called the jury) listen to the evidence (= information about the crime, for and against) and then make their decision. People who see a crime are witnesses, and they usually give evidence at a trial.

If someone is guilty of a crime, the judge will give the sentence (= the punishment). If a person is guilty of murder, the sentence may be 10-20 years in prison. The person then becomes a prisoner. For crimes that are not serious (called minor offences, e.g. illegal parking), the punishment is usually a fine (= money you have to pay).

1. Draw lines to combine the two halves of the sentences to describe the functions of each.