Video: 24 hours of Foreign Office incidents

The Foreign Office has launched a video tracking thousands of consular incidents across the globe over a real 24 hour period.

Incidents vary from the serious – natural disasters, marriage documentation requests, birth registrations, arrests and more – to the absurd, with one man contacting the FCO to ask about keeping chickens in Rhodes.

 

 

The video highlights the extent and the limits of the FCO’s remit, and seeks to discourages unnecessary or inappropriate requests.

 

 

A postscript reads, “So we can focus on helping the Britons who most need it, make sure you take out travel insurance, know the local laws and customs and act responsibly.

 

 

“We’re not here to give you money or book your hotel, but we are here if you have a serious problem.”

 

 

Recent figures show that arrests of British nationals abroad fell 10% in the year to March 31, but the FCO warned that drug arrests continue to be a ‘significant problem’ in South America and the Caribbean.

 

 

FCO travel advice is available at fco.gov.uk/travel, on Twitter at @fcotravel and on Facebook at facebook.com/fcotravel.