Shanghai police calmed worried parents in the city Thursday, saying that a pair of plainclothes officers, who frightened two international students near their Pudong New Area school weeks ago, in fact, belonged to the force – but were misunderstood due to their poor grasp of the English language.

Police said that the high school students were scared in an unfortunate misunderstanding that resulted from poor spoken English by the officers, adding that officers will be urged to improve their oral English-language skills.

"According to standard procedure, the officers showed their badges to the girls, but since they couldn't speak English well, the students got frightened, not knowing who was approaching them," Tang Junwei, a press officer for Pudong New Area's public security bureau, told the Global Times Thursday.

"Officers need to improve their English, so they can better communicate with foreigners in the future," he added.

The incident occurred on September 28 along Biyun Road, about a ten-minute walk away from the students' school, Dulwich College Shanghai, in front of a Carrefour store, where the officers were investigating a series of bicycle theft cases, said police.

The officers were waiting for the owners of two bicycles outside the store to return – and when the students turned up, the officers tried to ask them a few questions.

But, the students, who failed to understand the officers, ran off scared and reported to school authorities when they returned to campus.

The school said that while the students were initially rattled by the incident, they were doing just fine.

"There was some confusion due to communication problems," Susan Hogan, director of community relations for Dulwich College Shanghai, told the Global Times Thursday. "But, police apologized for the incident and our students are fine.

"We're now aware that the officers were simply doing their jobs, and we appreciate them working hard to ensure a safe environment for all Jinqiao residents," she added. 

But before the school was informed of the situation, staff sent parents a letter, cautioning them to make sure their children were properly supervised; the scare has since prompted the school to emphasize the need for students to stay away from strangers, however, said Hogan.

Julie Maison, whose daughter attends the school and takes public transportation home, said that the incident has also reminded her to pay more attention to her child's safety.

"I'm going to warn my daughter to be more careful from now on," she told the Global Times Thursday. "I've always told her to steer clear of strangers, but I plan on reiterating the need for her to travel in groups when possible."

Maison added that her daughter was not at all shaken by the incident, believing that it was just a one-off situation.

The mother said that she would consider picking her child up from school, only if she or her daughter felt that it was no longer safe for her to make the commute on her own.

Li Mao and Miranda Shek contributed to this story