Police threaten to arrest people throwing snowballs

It may be a centuries-old winter game, but police in County Durham are cracking down on anyone caught throwing snowballs at people who do not want to be involved in the game.

The North East was blanketed with snow yesterday and is braced for more showers today. Anyone caught throwing snowballs at vehicles, houses or people who don’t want to get involved could be arrested for anti-social behaviour, a County Durham neighbourhood policing team has said.

Posting the message on Facebook the department said: “Crook Beat Team are aware that it has been snowing and that people are going to have fun in it, however if anyone is caught throwing snowballs at vehicles or onto the road, they could be arrested”. “Likewise, if anyone throws snowballs at person’s homes or at people who do not want to be involved in the snow games, they could be arrested and it will be classed as anti-social behaviour.”

They put the message on the social networking site to try and target the younger generation who might get carried away.

There have been no arrests as yet and the message is pre-emptive rather than a response to an unusually high volume of snow-related crimes, the force confirmed.

The seriousness of the snowballing, the age, and the background of the offender will all have an impact on whether they are charged or reprimanded, a spokesperson added. The warning received a mixed reaction online, with some residents branding it a “joke” and others pointing out that they behaved in the same way when they were young.

But the post, which received 34 “likes”, received some support. User Stuart Shogun Smith commented: “Not a joke when they damage cars, or load snowballs with stones, that’s how people loose teeth.”

A spokesperson for Durham police said: “The problem in Crook is no worse than anywhere else, but the team thought they would head the problem off at the pass.”

Question 1. Indicate whether these sentences are true or false. Justify your answers with evidence from the text.

a)      It snowed in the North East.

b)      Crook Beat Team are going to arrest those people throwing snowballs.

c)      Several cases have already been reported.

d)      All offenders will have the same charges.

Question 2. Answer the following questions in your own words.

a) Why is it dangerous to throw snowballs?

b) What group of people are they trying to get to and how?

Question 3. Find a word or a phrase in the text that means the same as:

a) Goal par. 3

b) Criminal par. 5

c)  Lead par. 7

Question 4. Rewrite the following sentences without changing the meaning.

a)The department said: “Crook Beat Team are aware that it has been snowing tonight and people are going to have fun with it”.

The department said that...

b)  They would head the problem off at the pass

The problem...

c) They load snowballs with stones; that's why people loose teeth.

If they...

             

Question 5. Write a short essay (120-150 words) on the following topic:

            Do you like winter? Why?