THE number of British tourists arrested in Turkey increased by more than 50 per cent, recently released figures have revealed.

The Foreign Office said that between April 1, 2013 and March 31, 2014, the number of British tourists or residents arrested rose to 69 compared to 44 on the previous year. Arrests for drug offences went up from four to 11.

However, there was a reported fall in the number of deaths of Brits in Turkey (114 to 75) and hospitalisations (107 to 88).

There was a sharp decrease in the number of reported rapes down seven in 2013/14 compared to 20 on the previous year. But there was an increase in sexual assaults from 16 to 19 cases.

Consular officers also offered increased assistance – from 70 cases in 2012/13 to 95 last year. Total assistance given to Brits fell overall from 371 cases to 353.

The British Behaviour Abroad report 2014 showed there has been an overall decrease in the number of hospitalisation cases handled by FCO staff in 2013/14, its lowest level for five years.

Drug arrests remain a problem in some countries, with Australia and Spain seeing a combined increase in recorded cases of more than 80%.

With visitor figures and resident numbers taken into account, British residents are most likely to need assistance in the Philippines, Thailand and Jamaica. 

Mark Simmonds, minister for consular affairs, said: “With the summer holidays just around the corner, millions of people across the UK will be looking forward to taking a trip abroad. The vast majority will enjoy a trouble-free holiday, but for those who do encounter difficulties our consular staff are there to offer support.” 

Interestingly, the FCO reports that there are an estimated 51,000 British residents living in Turkey compared to just 28,000 declared in a recent UN report. The difference of a ‘missing’ 23,000 may never be explained.