Forces patrol bars to tackle spiking during Freshers’ Week

Forces are working with universities, licensed venues and organisations in the night-time economy to help safeguard people on a night out, deploying a range of tactics to prevent and identify offending. This includes:

• Forces, including Derbyshire Police and Thames Valley Police, will deploy plain clothed officers to patrol the night-time economy, looking for predatory behaviour. A uniformed police response is also present in the area, ready to arrest suspects or respond to issues.
• Nottinghamshire Police has set up a dedicated police presence at Nottingham University throughout the freshers’ period to help safeguard students.
• Bedfordshire Police is delivering training to bar staff and taxi drivers to raise awareness of the symptoms of spiking and how to intervene as a bystander to violence against women and girls.
• West Yorkshire Police has created a spiking educational package for school pupils, digital media assets to increase confidence among victim survivors to report and to raise awareness within the NHS of the importance of early police referral.
• Lincolnshire Police is working with partners, such as street pastors and the University of Lincoln, to promote a safe night time economy. This will include extra patrols working with licensed premises to ensure strict searching of those entering large venues, and the university is providing support and testing for students who believe they may have been spiked.

Forces work proactively year-round to tackle spiking, raise awareness and educate around the issue, and make the night-time economy safer for women and girls.

Police activity has been further boosted this week with funding from the Home Office as part of a dedicated ‘week of action’ to target spiking offences. The first operation took place in March this year, when officers across England and Wales visited over 2000 licensed venues to ensure that staff were aware of the symptoms of spiking and how to respond to an incident, with the appropriate safety measures in place to protect customers.

Raising awareness of spiking is particularly key to helping police investigate offences, as common ‘myths’ prevent people from identifying and reporting offences. Drugs often pass through the system quickly, so it’s important that spiking is reported to the police as soon as possible to give the best chance of providing support to the victim, as well as investigating and collecting vital evidence.

To respond effectively to violence against women and girls in public spaces, including offences such as spiking, policing needs to work in partnership. Forces are invigorating a joined-up approach to help make the night-time economy safe, working with local councils and businesses to pursue perpetrators and safeguard vulnerable people.

Assistant Chief Constable Samantha Millar, National Police Chiefs’ Council Violence Against Women and Girls Strategic Programme Director, said:

“It’s really important that women and girls both feel safe and are safe when they are on a night out, and we know the fear around spiking can have a significant impact on how they feel.

“It’s also important that we equip young people with the right information around spiking to help prevent and deter offences and encourage early reporting. We know that spiking can often be committed by someone known to the victim and can occur when extra alcohol is added to someone’s drink without their knowledge.

“People may do it as a joke, or in rarer cases, there may be a more sinister motive for spiking. In all cases, we really want to encourage people to look out for each other, be aware of the signs and symptoms of spiking, and know how to report it to police.

“Don’t let the fact that you may have taken drugs put you off reporting to police, it is not an offence to have drugs in your system, and police will want to make sure you are safe and investigate any offences you are reporting.”

Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women & Girls Jess Phillips said:

“Ensuring the safety and well-being of our students during freshers' week is a top priority. That's why the government has invested in police forces across the country to intensify their operations to tackle spiking, employing new strategies to pursue offenders and protect victims.

“It's vital that victims feel empowered and supported to come forward as we confront this often-underreported crime. We are taking strong and decisive action to strengthen the law and enhance the police response to ensure victims are confident reporting to the police and that offenders are held accountable.

“This government has a mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade, and we are resolute in our commitment to keep women and girls safe."

Professor Lisa Roberts, Student Experience, Education and Skills Policy Lead, Universities UK and Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive at the University of Exeter, said:

“It's vital that all students feel safe at university and can enjoy their student experience without fear of being harmed. Across the country universities are working with the police and nightlife sector to help students feel safe when they go out at night. Spiking attacks can, and do, happen in society and we need to work together to reduce the risk and raise awareness of the support that is available, so those who have been spiked can come forward for support in confidence. Universities UK’s guidance supports universities to respond spiking through providing examples of good practice.”

Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, Joint Leads on Addictions and Substance Abuse, David Sidwick and Joy Allen, and Joint Leads on Victims, Sophie Linden and Lisa Townsend, said:

“Spiking is an abominable act that can have a traumatic impact on victims – mostly women and girls. Victims of spiking are often left in the terrifying situation of being unable to recall what has happened or what might have been done to them.

“At a time when many young people will be out enjoying themselves during their university freshers’ week, we fully support this week of action by police. It is those who carry out these offences who are responsible for the harm that results, but we would encourage students to be vigilant and know how to stay safe, and to recognise the signs of a possible spiking incident. Spiking can involve drugs such as cocaine or ketamine or, often, a victim’s drink being doctored with multiple measures of alcohol. It is almost certainly under-reported by victims.

“PCCs are committed to working with their local police force along with national and local partners to raise public awareness and to improve the police response to what are challenging and complex offences to investigate. To send the clearest possible message that spiking is entirely unacceptable, and encourage victims to come forward, we believe it should be made a specific criminal offence.

“It is vital that anyone who believes they or a friend have been spiked reports it to police as soon as possible to give them the best possible chance of catching the perpetrator.” 

How to report spiking

If you think you or a friend has been spiked, it’s important to tell someone as soon as you can.

• Alert a member of staff or security if you're at a venue.
• Stay with your friend and keep talking to them.
• Don’t let them go home on their own or leave with someone you don’t know.
• Report to the police online, on 101 or, in an emergency, call 999.

If you or someone else have symptoms

• If you are worried call 111.
• Call an ambulance if the symptoms get worse.

If you think there may have been a sexual assault

• Go to your nearest sexual assault referral centre (SARC) for specialist care and support. For further information on SARCs and details of your nearest one, visit www.nhs.uk/sarcs

Letting people know gives the best chance of looking after you and gathering any evidence where a crime may have taken place.

We know it can be scary to report being spiked, but the police are here to help you. They will listen to you and take you seriously.