criminal complaint
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criminal complaint
An official report to a criminal prosecution authority, such as the police or public prosecutor's office, about a situation that could be a criminal offense. This initiates the investigation.
Wegen des Diebstahls hat er bei der Polizei eine Strafanzeige gegen Unbekannt erstattet.
Because of the theft, he filed a criminal complaint with the police against an unknown person.
The word is made up of 'die Strafe' (punishment) and 'die Anzeige' (report/complaint). So it is a report that can lead to a punishment.
Eine Strafanzeige ist der Beginn eines Ermittlungsverfahrens.
A criminal complaint is the beginning of an investigation procedure.
The most important verb in this context is 'erstatten' (to file). The fixed phrase is 'Strafanzeige erstatten' (to file a criminal complaint). Colloquially, you also hear 'eine Anzeige machen' (to make/file a complaint).
Nach dem Einbruch hat die Familie sofort Strafanzeige erstattet.
After the break-in, the family immediately filed a criminal complaint.
You file a criminal complaint 'bei' an authority (e.g., 'bei der Polizei' — with the police). The complaint is directed 'gegen' a person or 'gegen Unbekannt' (against an unknown person).
Sie erstattete bei der Polizei Strafanzeige gegen ihren Nachbarn.
She filed a criminal complaint with the police against her neighbor.
advertisement / report / display
'die Anzeige' and 'die Strafanzeige' can both mean an official report to the police or an authority. 'die Anzeige' is the more general word here and can also have many other meanings, for example an advertisement in a newspaper or a display on a screen. 'die Strafanzeige' is more specific: it always means a report about something that could be a criminal offense. Learners may confuse the words because in everyday language people often simply say 'Anzeige' when they actually mean 'Strafanzeige'. If the legal context should be clear, 'Strafanzeige' is more precise.
Wegen der falschen Unterschrift stellte mein Freund eine Strafanzeige.
Because of the false signature, my friend filed a criminal complaint.
Nach dem Diebstahl erstattete die Kundin Anzeige bei der Polizei.
After the theft, the customer filed a report with the police.