Spiking remains a serious issue in British clubs. While reports of people having their drinks spiked (or being attacked with needles) might have got the most attention in the news and on social media throughout 2021, it’s still very much happening all over the country.
Between September 2021 and September 2022, a horrifying 5,000 cases were reported to police in England and Wales – and spiking is a notoriously under-reported offence. The actual total is likely to be much, much higher.
In an effort to finally put an end to spiking in UK clubs, a new anti-spiking campaign has been launched by the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA). The campaign calls for legislation that explicitly targets spiking, which would make it a specific and punishable offence under law.
A specific law would also lead to a more streamlined process for reporting spikings, which the NTIA says would lead to both more data in police records about spiking and help to better prosecute perpetrators. It’s all to help make nightclubs safer for everyone – something that should really be a given.
The NTIA’s campaign follows the government’s ruling in January that the UK doesn’t need a ‘spiking law’, with the Home Office saying that current legislation provides enough coverage for reporting spiking offences. This was despite the government saying in 2021 that it would consider anti-spiking legislation.
If you’d like to get involved with the NTIA’s campaign, you can get do so by sending an email to your local MP to get them to represent your interests in Parliament. The NTIA has already drafted that email – to find out more, follow the link here.
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