TEXT A
Governments Are Trying A 1990 United Nations survey
revealed that the more highly developed countries spend an average of 2 to 3
percent of their annual budgets on crime control, while developing countries
spend even more, an average of 9 to 14 percent. Increasing the size of the
police force and providing it with better equipment take priority in some
localities. But results are mixed. Some Hungarian citizens complain: "There are
never enough policemen to catch the criminals but always enough to catch traffic
violators." Many governments have recently found it necessary to
pass tougher crime laws. For example, since "kidnapping is on the rise across
Latin America," says Time magazine, the governments there have responded with
laws that are "at once vigorous and ineffectual". "Passing laws is one thing."
it admits, "applying them another." It is estimated that in
Britain more than 100,000 neighborhood watch schemes, covering at least four
million homes, existed in 1992. Similar programs were implemented in Australia
in the mid1980’s. Their aim, says the Australian Institute of Criminology, is to
reduce crime "by improving citizens’ awareness about public safety, by improving
residents’ attitudes and behaviour in reporting crime and suspicious events in
the neighbourhood and by reducing vulnerability to crime with the help of
property identification and installation of effective security
devices." Closed-circuit television is used in some places to
link police stations with commercial premises. Video cameras are used by police,
banks, and stores as a crime deterrent or as a tool for identifying
lawbreakers. In Nigeria the police have checkpoints on highways
in efforts to apprehend robbers and carjackers. The government has set up a task
force on trade malpractices to combat fraud. Police-community relations
committees made up of community leaders inform the police of criminal activity
and people of questionable character. Visitors to the
Philippines note that homes are generally not left unattended and that many
people have watchdogs. Businessmen employ private security guards to protect
their businesses. Anti-theft devices for cars sell well. People who can afford
to do so withdraw to tightly secured subdivisions or condominiums.
The London newspaper The Independent commented: "As confidence in the rule
of law falls, citizens are organizing the defense of their own communities in
increasing numbers." And more and more people are arming themselves. In the
United States, for example, it is estimated that every second household owns at
least one gun. Governments are constantly developing new methods
of combating crime. But V. Vsevolodov, of the Academy of Home Affairs in
Ukraine, points out that according to UN sources, so many gifted people are
finding "unique methods of carrying on criminal activity" that "the training of
law enforcement personnel" cannot keep up. Clever criminals funnel huge sums of
money back into businesses and social services, merging with society and
"gaining for themselves high positions in society." As can be inferred from the passage, ______.
A．it is urgent to pass laws for gun control in the U.S. B．people occupying high positions are more prone to crime C．many criminals are intelligent enough to escape punishment D．empty houses in the Philippines are often guarded by watch dogs