Number of Britons arrested in the UAE falls

British behaviour in the UAE has improved, according to statistics released by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). The number of Britons arrested on drug-related offences in the Emirates fell dramatically, while general arrests and cases of consular assistance also fell. In total, five were arrested on drug-related charges from April 1 2010-March 31 2011, while the figure for the previous year was 24. The total number of arrests (including drug arrests) fell from 265 to 217 in this period. Total number of consular assistance cases also fell from 425 to 382. However, hospitalisations rose from 31 to 41 during this period and in total, 75 Britons died in the UAE compared to 56 last year. Last year’s “British Behaviour Abroad” report put Britons as most likely to be arrested firstly in Thailand and secondly in the UAE. The Emirates was also third-highest in terms of drug-related arrests. According to this year’s report, Britons travelling abroad are most likely to be arrested in Spain, the USA and thirdly the UAE. “It’s not because the British community here is badly behaved, the British community here is very well behaved. But FCO research does show that a majority of arrests overseas are avoidable,” Guy Warrington, British Consul General to the UAE said in February this year. It’s estimated that 100,000 Britons live in the UAE and approximately 20,000 of these reside in Abu Dhabi. A total of one million transit through the Emirates per year. Gulf News