Super-recognisers - Reading practice

What newsworthy event took place in 2011?

• There were lots of violent political protests.

• There were riots on the streets of London.

• A lot of people tried to steal things from shops.

• There was a wave of public disorder across England.

When Gary Collins saw the riots on TV, he ...

• realised he should become a police officer.

• changed his holiday plans.

• stopped his job for six months.

• came out of retirement.

How did Gary Collins manage to identify so many rioters?

• He recognised people he knew personally on TV.

• He spent many hours looking at images on CCTV film.

• He has an exceptional memory for faces.

• He had undergone special visual memory training.

Which of the statements about the population is not true?

• About 2 per cent can remember faces seen briefly for years.

• About 96 per cent have an average memory for faces.

• About 2 per cent can’t recognise people’s faces at all.

• About 2 per cent have a near-perfect memory for faces.

Mick Neville thought there was a problem with CCTV because…

• there weren’t enough cameras on the streets.

• it was hard to identify criminals from the film.

• the film quality wasn’t good enough.

• the police didn’t have time to watch all the footage.

The super-recognisers unit is impressive because…

• it is unique in the world.

• six officers have made as many identifications as around 10,000 of their colleagues.

• the team have identified a lot of murderers who were then convicted.

• the team is incredibly hard-working.

Identification by super-recognisers is used to…

• help the police conduct investigations effectively.

• convict all kinds of criminals.

• prove guilt when there is little other evidence.

• deter crime of all kinds.

In paragraph 6, 'caught red-handed' means…

• caught with blood on your hands.

• caught with red dye on your hands (from security devices).

• caught in the act of committing an offence.

• caught in a very embarrassing situation.