Number of Australians Arrested Abroad Expected to Top 1000 This Year

I like watching the show Locked Up Abroad on National Geographic and maybe some of these Australians getting in trouble should watch it to before traveling overseas:

THE number of Australians arrested overseas is expected to surpass 1000 this year, say experts.

Australians can expect no special treatment for misdemeanours committed abroad, as Melbourne mother Annice Smoel found out this week.

The recent arrest of Melbourne’s Annice Smoel, accused of stealing a
$60 bar mat from the Aussie Bar in Phuket, has reignited debate about
Australians behaving badly abroad, reports The Advertiser.

While Mrs Smoel has walked free, her brush with Thai law has
highlighted the danger of being ignorant to the laws and customs of
foreign countries.

Latest figures from the Department of Foreign Affairs
and Trade show that in 2008-2009, 970 Australians were arrested abroad
– 507 are serving time in foreign prisons and so far this year, there
have already been 790 arrests.

It is predicted that for the first time, the number of Australians arrested overseas will surpass 1000 this year.  [The Advertiser]