Dubai: Only Spain and the United States have arrested more Britons in the last year, said UK government officials in a new report on Thursday.
According to the Helping British Nationals Abroad report issued by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), 246 UK nationals were arrested in the UAE from April 1, 2014 to March 31, 2015, down from 261 arrests in a similar fiscal period for the year before.
Spain topped the list this year with 1,086 arrests while the United States ranked second with 933 arrests of British nationals.
A wider set of statistics unveiled on Thursday rank the UAE as seventh of the top 20 countries in which British nationals abroad “required the most consular assistance,” stated the report.
British consular staff at embassies in Abu Dhabi and in Dubai recorded 498 requests for assistance, one instance less than the fiscal year before.
The figures stem from the visits of 727,000 UK tourists who travelled to the UAE in the 2014-2015 period.
The UAE statistics are part of a total of 17,058 requests globally for consular assistance from UK nationals for the same period.
“We estimate that there are around 120,000 British residents in the UAE and more than one million British tourists visit each year. The vast majority have an enjoyable and trouble-free time in the UAE, but for those who do encounter difficulties our consular staff are there to offer support,” a British consular official told Gulf News on Thursday.
“Part of our role is to try to prevent consular cases before they happen. We do this through awareness campaigns in the media, at outreach events, on the radio, etc. We are pleased that these figures show a drop in the key preventable consular cases (eg arrests). We can’t say for sure that our campaigns made the difference, but based on feedback from the British community we know that our campaigns are reaching our target audience.”
In the UAE, the report highlights several trends compared to last year’s statistics.
Deaths of UK nationals in the UAE rose to 98 cases from 75 the year before as did hospitalisations to 67 cases from 54.
Reported rape cases involving UK victims in the UAE declined to seven to date compared to nine cases recorded for the last year, said the FCO.
The UAE rape figures were lower than other countries, said the FCO. Spain recorded 52 cases of sexual assault of UK nationals this year while Greece recorded 15 incidents.
Globally, the report stated there were a total of 252 sexual assault cases involving UK victims abroad, six fewer than the year before worldwide.
Drug arrests in the UAE involving British nationals dropped this year to nine from 16 the year before.
Consular officials recorded 67 hospitalisations in the UAE for nationals in the latest study period.
A further 95 UK passports were reported stolen or lost as part of a total 13,767 enquiries made to diplomatic mission services in the UAE, the report stated.
Grant Shapps, Minister for Consular Affairs, who released the report, said in a statement on Thursday the statistics show that the FCO is helping nationals travelling abroad.
“Every day our dedicated staff are out helping British nationals across the globe. From making hospital visits and contacting friends and family in the UK, through to supporting grieving families or providing emergency travel documents so people can get home,” Shapps said.
“Most of us can look forward to a fantastic, trouble-free holiday this summer. But for those who do find themselves in difficulty, the FCO will continue to provide a crucial source of support.”