Life of Crime revolves round a female police officer named Denise Woods. Set throughout a span of three years (beginning with all the Brixton Riots of 1985), the play follows Denise because she climbs through the ranks of the Metropolitan Police Service. She struggles within a very male-orientated profession where sexism is rife and female officers must fight to get accepted. However, as one breaks September morning, Denise accompanies DS Ray Deans into a crime scene to detect teenager Anna's strangled, battered and bruised body. Having had an earlier encounter Denise is determined to attract Anna's killer . Denise works from the crystal obvious instruction and advice of her officers and follows her own lines of enquiry while the circumstances of the murder of Anna are not exactly what they appear. As the enquiry advances Denise's fervor for the case leads her to fall foul of her senior officer.