You are in Taiwan for a business meet. On Friday, you are walking down the road with your handbag, when suddenly a thief snatches it and flees. Initially, panic sets in and you run after the thief but to no avail. You decide to file a police complaint. However, since, you are in a foreign country; you have no idea about the procedure to file a police. In such cases, it is beneficial to be fluent in English as it is the preferred common global language. Be it loss of car, purse of any other situation, your English conversational skills will help you sail through the difficult times with confidence. Below are a few things to keep in mind while filing a police complaint.

Things to remember when filing a complaint at the police station:

1. Visit the embassy site

For loss of a car or a purse, you do not need to visit the embassy site and can directly go to the police station.  However, loss of a passport is a very serious matter as it is an identification document and is prone to be misused at the wrong hands. It is for this reason that embassies have a procedure listed on their websites based on different locations. Ensure that you read and understand the full procedure.

2. Apply for a replacement

Once you are sure the passport cannot be found anywhere, start the procedure for applying for a replacement passport. This is because it can take many weeks for a new passport to be issued and can lead to unnecessary delays. Usually, the procedure to apply for a replacement is listed on the embassy website in detail. In case of any doubts or queries, you can get in touch with embassy staff and ask for help in good spoken English.

Sample Conversation:

Situation: You are at the Taiwanese Police Station to report loss of a passport.

You: Hi, Where do I file a stolen bag complaint?

Officer: You can file it here.

You: Okay. I wish to report that my bag was stolen today while I was returning from my office. The incident happened at Avenue Plaza, Hue Chou Road.

Officer: Can you describe the thief?

You: The thief was in black overalls with medium height. He had a mask on, so I could not see his face.

Officer: Okay, was there any valuable item in the handbag?

You: There were 500 New Taiwan Dollars, my passport and some office documents.

Officer: Okay. Don't worry; we will catch the thief soon.

You: I am more worried about my passport. Can you help me out with the replacement procedure?

Officer: Sure. We will give you a written report detailing this incident. You just need to submit it to your embassy along with a photocopy of your passport.

You: Thanks. Is there anything else required from me?

Officer: Just sign this report with your full name and date. We will give you a photocopy.

You: Thanks for your help. Let me know if you find anything.

The above sample shows how to file a police complaint for a loss of handbag that carried your passport. Fluent English speaking skills will give you the confidence in dealing with any situation. You can practice such scenarios with the help of an online English tutor.

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- By Monika Agarwal

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