5,700 Britons arrested overseas
Some 5,700 Britons were arrested overseas last year, although the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said this was 10% fewer than 2009/10
Drug arrests also fell by almost 20%, according to its new British Behaviour Abroad report.
The highest number of arrests were in Spain and the United States. However, proportionally, tourists are most likely to be arrested in Thailand, according to the report.
Drug arrests continue to be a significant problem for some countries, it said, particularly parts of South America and the Caribbean where a high proportion of total arrests were drug related.
The FCO has launched a new ad campaign uring Britons to steer clear of drugs overseas.
The British Behaviour Abroad report also shows that the number of Brits hospitalised abroad increased to 3,752 cases, despite fewer people from the UK travelling abroad last year.
Cases of rape in Greece have almost halved since 2009/10, down from 27 to 15, though the number of sexual assaults rose 'significantly', according to the FCO.. Proportionally the highest number of sexual assaults occurred in Egypt, followed by Turkey.
The report showed that the Philippines was the country where Britons were most likely to need assistance of the FCO, followed by Thailand then Pakistan.
With permission from Travelmole
To read the FCO report in more detail, please click here (opens as pdf file).
David
It sort of relates to a question I had when last applying for a new passport. I live in Germany and when I need a new passport I have to obtain it from the British Consulate in Düsseldorf. When I applied the last time I was informed of the price which was considerably more than what I would have paid if I had been resident in the UK. I queried as to why the price was so much higher and was told that the extra amount I had to pay was partially to help foot the bill for expenses for consulate staff when helping British people in trouble abroad. I'm not sure how many expats living and working in Germany get into trouble or if they do, even involve the Consulate staff.
Luckily a two week visit to the UK was coming up and I made an appointment at the London Passport Office for a same day passport. The cost of the passport, train fare to London, a midday meal, a coffee in the afternoon didn't add up to what I would have had to pay for the passport in Germany.
Sorry for rambling OT but the figures you quoted made me think back to what the consulate staff had told me.
It would be interesting to see how those figures compare against other countries.
What jumped out of the figures at me is that more people now die abroad than get arrested. It would have been interesting to know how many of them weren't properly insured.
I read on the FCO website, that previous research suggests that 15% of Britons travel abroad with no Insurance cover whatsoever. I've not read or heard of the number of Brits who have cover, that is deemed inadequate when the need to implement it arises.
boaz wrote:I read on the FCO website, that previous research suggests that 15% of Britons travel abroad with no Insurance cover whatsoever. I've not read or heard of the number of Brits who have cover, that is deemed inadequate when the need to implement it arises.
and those that think the EHIC card is all they need.
This is true, but these staff have always had to be paid. The price is so much more now because a few years ago the burden of the operational cost of Consulates was moved so they now have to be met from Passport fees. Previously the cost was met from the UKs central taxation.
This was deemed unfair as thousands of non passport holders were subsiding the cost of overseas consulates.
But that doesn't justify why the passport price varies so much. People getting passports in the UK will put most demand on consulates so why push extra costs onto those who live abroad. After all, those who actually live in a foreign country will probably have the right insurance (or be paying into the local health system) , know the laws, maybe even have next of kin with them and so on. I doubt they use the consulates as much as the increased price suggests. And if the price is justified how come an ex pat can simply come to London and get it UK prices - that destroys their argument.
Sure everyone here remembers this program, infact there was one episode, when the lads arrive at there holiday destination, one of the lads was drunk and unable to walk, and sick as well
How on earth that lad avioded getting arrested, no one knows, but could quite easily have gone wrong for them, he gets arrested, and sent back home
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