Getting arrested abroad

is this usually an issue?

Abroad is pretty broad - I expect every country is different, and there are hundreds.

That would be a nightmare.

Nigel: Well done, sir. Well done.

"About 5,000 Americans are detained yearly for serious violations..."

Probably the key point in the article is that it is not like the movies, you can't call the embassy and someone will come down and settle things. They can provide a list of lawyers, maybe notify your family for you, but that is about it.

If you are one who has dual passports, say US and French, if you are in the EU on your French passport, then the embassy is even less helpful, they will not intervene between the French police and a French Citizen.

Darn, I thought this was going to be a how-to thread

The most obvious reason to be detained in the Schengen Area is for a failure to meet the two basic requirements:
- Be able to identify yourself using one of the acceptable official documents, for the US that is a passport
- Be able to justify your presence within the area, as a tourist that is things like flight tickets, hotel reservations etc.
If you are unable to do this then your can expect to be detained and if it is during a security alert don't expect the authorities will take you to your hotel to your actual passport etc...

This is something you can prevent happening if you carry the required documents.

It happened to me on one occasion while travelling in Switzerland with a Swiss citizen. We were controlled and he had forgotten his ID card. We had to get off the train and were taking to the local police station where we had to wait for his wife to come from home with his ID card later in the day.

He's darn lucky that he didn't use the pepper spray against anyone for "self defence", as he likely would have been charged and possibly sentenced to a prison term (I've seen that happen). Pepper spray is considered a "prohibited weapon" and if hidden inside a pocket or whatever, could be considered a "concealed weapon". It's a darn good thing he didn't try to bring a handgun into Canada!

There is an exception for Bear Spray, but whether that's allowed depends on the location and circumstances. Someone out hiking likely wouldn't have a problem, however someone carrying the spray in the middle of city could face legal consequences.

If travellers are entering the country with the intention of hiking, best to tell CBSA officers about that before they find it in the luggage.

The experience with Canadian authorities was not unpleasant, he says. “They were very polite,” he recalls.

I would expect at the very least they could have offered a Tims double double and apple fritter.

Alas Things have changed over the years.

In the mid 90’s my friend was robbed of her large wallet which also contained her passport.

It was the day before our flight to the US. It was Christmas Eve day. We notified the police who gave us a number to the US Embassy. Went back to our hotel and a man from the Embassy called. He’d been contacted by an Embassy employee as he was already at his wife’s parents home outside London. My friend explained her issue and he gave her a name and phone of a man at Heathrow security office that she should call immediately and if she couldn’t get through to call him back.

We got through, referenced the Embassy man and she was told to arrive at Heathrow, and to meet such and such at the security center.

We did. We were escorted through security by this man and told that SF International was being notified as well. Airline personnel were responsive so boarding a breeze.

We joked on the plane about what security questions might be asked at SFO and burst out laughing when they asked her what number did Willie Mays wear.

Both of us are die hard Giants fans. “ Her reply was “you mean Willie Howard Mays number 24 of the San Francisco Giants?”

The smirk from the guard disappeared.