british overseas arrests on the rise says fco

The UK economy may be stagnating, but exports of British crime are booming, according to the latest figures from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office. Some 6,000 British nationals were arrested overseas during the past 12 months, with more than half detained in Spain and the US.

british overseas arrests on the rise says fco

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The data, which was released ahead of the FCO’s full British Behaviour Abroad report next month, shows that 6,015 arrests occurred between April 2011 and March 2012. This represents a rise of 6% on the previous 12-month period, when just 5,700 overseas detentions of Britons were reported.

Spain accounted for almost one-third of all arrests (1,909) of British visitors and residents during the past year, up 9%, with anecdotal evidence from embassies and consulates suggesting that many offences in mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands were “alcohol-fuelled”.

However, the US was not far behind, with a total of 1,305 detentions – a rise of 3% on the previous 12 months. Indeed, authorities in America made more drug-related arrests than in any other country with 147 (up 11% on the previous year), ahead of Spain on 141 (a rise of 7%).

Drug arrests were 2% higher across the board, the FCO said.  Hot spots included Brazil, Jamaica, Peru, Serbia, and Trinidad and Tobago, where more than 70% of overall detentions were drug-related.

It was not all bad news for British behaviour abroad, however. France, the destination for 19.3m visiting Britons, saw an 11% decrease in the number of arrests. Australia, home to almost 1.2m British nationals, saw a similar decline of 10%, with the total number of detentions falling to 112.

Nevertheless, the FCO said, consular staff across the globe spend some 35% of their time dealing with cases of British nationals who are detained or imprisoned abroad. "Whilst we will work hard to try and ensure the safety of British nationals abroad, we cannot interfere in another country’s legal system," warned Jeremy Browne, minister of state for consular affairs.

"Many people are shocked to discover that the FCO cannot get them out of jail. We always provide consular support to British nationals in difficulty overseas. However, having a British passport does not make you immune to foreign laws and will not get you special treatment in prison."

 

Top ten countries for total arrests/detentions
Country No. of visitors No. of British residents Total arrests/detentions 2011/2012 Percentage increase/decrease from 2010/11
Spain 13,600,000 808,000 1,909 9%
US 5,525,000 829,000 1,305 3%
Thailand 844,224 50,000 204 2%
UAE 1,000,000 100,000 201 -7%
Cyprus 1,069,190 59,000 164 9%
China 939,160 47,000 149 14%
France 19,300,000 253,000 142 -11%
Canada 1,000,000 611,000 123 23%
Germany 2,054,839 141,706 118 9%
Australia 614,000 1,193,000 112 -10%

 

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