UK holidaymakers warned over gang rapes at Greek resorts

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Urgent meetings are to be held by the British consul in Crete with officials and tour operators at the popular holiday party destination following the alleged gang rapes of two women from the UK and a teenager from Holland on Crete and the island of Kos.

Greek officials are becoming increasingly concerned over the binge drinking “culture” at a number of resorts in the country that has contributed to the rape problem and that threatens to damage the reputation of the tourism industry at the start of the important summer season.

Nikos Markakis, a leading law enforcement official on Crete, said: “It has become glaringly obvious that unacceptable things are happening in our resorts,” noting that he was particularly concerned about the situation in Mallia, which has the reputation of “anything goes”.

“This week I demanded that patrols be stepped up in Mallia as never before,” Markakis said, adding: “The season has barely begun and already it has been sullied by incidents of rape involving Britons. It’s out-of-control behaviour that is almost always brought on by outrageous binge drinking in bar crawls organised by tour operators.”

In last week’s incident involving the alleged attack on a 20-year-old woman from the UK by three British men, excess alcohol consumption was said to be a contributing factor. The young woman was on her first independent holiday abroad, and told police that she was gang-raped on 5 June.

Thanks to www.guardian.co.uk for the above quotes, for more information on this article please visit their website.

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