Geographical Knowledge is your friend.

[crazylegs]

To start with I'd like to point out that I live (and work) in the UK, specifically England. While we share good relations with the majority of our European neighbours we do have some limits.

GOM Grouchy Old Man
Me

About a week ago an elderly chap came into work and rang the front doorbell (the front reception desk isn't staffed, you ring a bell and someone, eventually, comes!). I pop my head around the door and greet him in my usual cheerful manner, to which I get the following reply

GOM: Tsk, Ugh, Do we have to talk through glass?

[Yes sir, we're going to leave the front reception desk completely devoid of all security features just so you don't have to speak through glass! /thoughts]

GOM:I've come in to report the theft of my passport.

Me: Righto Sir, where was it stolen?

GOM: It was stolen on Thursday
[Listen to the damn question, it's more important!]

Me: Where was it stolen sir?

GOM: Amsterdam

Me: o_O Sorry, where?

GOM: Amsterdam, it was stolen while I was there on holiday.

Me: Right, I'll be back in a minute.

[Background info] Due to crime reporting rules in the UK if a crime occurs it has to be reported to the constabulary which has responsibility for the geographic area, I can't report a theft which occured in London to an officer in Liverpool; there would be exceptions for very serious offences where the first account would be taken but that is very much the exception rather than the rule. [/Background info]

After much questioning I find out that he'd already reported it to the local police in Holland, obtained a crime number (or local equivalent) and because the UKPA (UK Passport Authority) leaflet said 'report to police your loss/theft' he took that to mean 'obtain a crime number from the police where you live'

It took me 20 minutes to persuade him that I couldn't provide him with a crime number. 20 Minutes that I could have spent doing far more useful things with my time.

[lineswine]

Just as well he wasn't a G20 protester, or you'd have shown him a "different" side of your personality!

[MoxisPilot]

Let me just ask, for my own clarification:

Isn't this a bit like reporting in Canada a theft which happened in Costa Rica? O.o

What on EARTH did he expect you to do about it?

[crazylegs]

Was there no way the man could have the theft logged somehow, or do all reports of crime get a crime number issued?

We can create an incident, which isn't a crime number (not all incidents are crimes you see), but that wasn't good enough for GOM. However we have to be super careful with the wording, there are people within the organisation whos sole job it is is to trawl through incidents and make sure that crimes are crimed and the numbers generated.

Let me just ask, for my own clarification:

Isn't this a bit like reporting in Canada a theft which happened in Costa Rica? O.o

What on EARTH did he expect you to do about it?

That's pretty much spot on. Well, the trip to Amsterdam would have been fun but I don't think the tax payer would have been all that thrilled with the prospect of me going abroad to investigate the theft of a single passport.

[Antisocial_Worker]

...Well, the trip to Amsterdam would have been fun but I don't think the tax payer would have been all that thrilled with the prospect of me going abroad to investigate the theft of a single passport.

There's a novel in that thought somewhere.

[lordlundar]

There's a novel in that thought somewhere.

There have probably been a few, most of them in the adult section of the book store.

[Stormraven]

I would assume that the direction to report the theft was meant 'report to the passport office'. With an incident number from Amsterdam, it should be relatively easy for them to then replace it.