Police and Trouble
There's little reason why you should ever come into contact with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), who patrol Canada in the form of provincial and metropolitan forces. In contrast to the US, there's very little street crime and even in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal you shouldn't have any problems in terms of personal safety if you stick to the main parts of town, though it's obviously advisable to be cautious late at night. However, if you're drinking in one of the country's many rough-and-ready bars, don't be too surprised if there's a fight, though the males (very rarely females) involved will almost always be too busy thumping people they know to bother with a stranger - and hitting a woman (in this context) is almost unheard of. Theft is also uncommon, though it's obviously a good idea to be on your guard against petty thieves: always keep an eye on your luggage at bus and train stations, secure your things in a locker when staying in hostel accommodation, and avoid leaving valuables on a beach or in a tent or car. Canadian officials are notorious for coming down hard if you're found with drugs - especially on non-Canadians. Stiff penalties are imposed, even when only traces of any drug are found, so don't even think about it. If you are unlucky enough to be attacked or have something stolen, phone the police on tel 911 . If you're going to make an insurance claim or travellers' cheque refund application , ensure the crime is recorded by the police and make a note of their crime report number. Should you lose your passport , contact the nearest consulate and get them to issue a temporary passport , which is basically a sheet of paper saying you've reported the loss. This will get you home, but if you were planning to travel on from Canada, you'll need a new passport - a time-consuming and expensive process. Another possible problem is lost airline tickets . On scheduled and most charter flights, the airline company will honour their commitment on the lost ticket (especially if they can contact the issuing agent), but you may have to pay for a new ticket and wait a period (often as long as six months) for reimbursement once the airline is satisfied the ticket has not been used. Whatever happens, it's bound to involve hassle at the airport and afterwards. With some bargain-basement tickets, airlines will also make you pay again unless you can produce the lost ticket's number. Similarly, if you lose your travel insurance policy document, you won't be able to make a claim unless you quote its number. To avert both calamities, keep a copy of the numbers or documents at home. For lost travellers' cheques , if you've followed the issuer's suggestion and kept a record of the cheque numbers separate from the actual cheques, all you have to do is ring the issuing company on their given toll-free number to report the loss. They'll ask you for the cheque numbers, the place you bought them, when and how you lost them and whether it's been reported to the police. All being well, the missing cheques should be reissued within a couple of days - and you may get an emergency advance to tide you over.
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