Drugs top list of Brits' offences abroad

ALMOST 1,000 Britons were arrested for drug-related offences abroad last year, Foreign Office (FO) figures have revealed.

The 944 arrests accounted for a seventh of all arrests of British nationals abroad in the period April 2009 to March 2010.

Drugs contributed to more than a third of total arrests of Britons in France and more than a quarter in Ireland, Italy and Thailand.

There were 132 rape cases involving Britons in 2009-10, with the most, 32, being in Greece. There were 140 cases of sexual assault, with the highest number, 27, in Turkey.

The FO figures also revealed that there were a large number of road traffic accidents involving Britons overseas last year.

Including natural causes, accidents and unlawful killings, there were 5,930 reported deaths of UK citizens abroad in 2009-10.

Of these, 1,786 occurred in Spain, which also saw the highest number of arrests and detentions of UK nationals as well as the highest number of cases where Britons needed hospital treatment.

Overall, there were 3,689 cases worldwide of Britons needing hospital treatment, with suspected swine flu accounting for a rise in hospital cases in Egypt and Greece.

Spain was also the country in which Britons had the most passports lost or stolen, with 6,618 cases in the period April 2009 to March 2010.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister Jeremy Brown said: "This report shines a light on the number of Britons who get into difficulty abroad each year. The worrying fact is that so many of these situations are preventable.

"Helping out Britons in trouble abroad is part of our job, but we can't get you out of jail or pay your hospital bills.

"A bit of preparation before you go, such as arranging travel insurance, will ensure you get the most out of your trip without bad memories and big bills.

"The message from the Foreign Office is clear — have a great time while travelling or living abroad, but make the necessary preparations before you go."