Drink spiking to be a criminal offence in crackdown on VAWG

In a meeting in Downing Street later today with police chiefs, industry executives and transport bosses, the Prime Minister will urge them to “work together to keep women and girls safe”.

Sir Keir Starmer says making spiking a new criminal offence “will send a clear signal that this is a crime, and perpetrators should feel the full force of the law, empowering victims to report offences and giving them confidence the justice system will support them”.

This forms part of his “personal commitment” to halve VAWG.

Speaking to leaders later today, the Prime Minister will set out how the new offence is just one of part of the solution. He will demand coordinated action across the police, transport network and venues to stamp out this cowardly act and take back our streets.

This will include training thousands of staff working in the nighttime economy on how to spot and tackle spiking. Piloted from December, the training will help equip staff with the skills they need to prevent incidents, support victims and help police collect evidence. This will be rolled out to up to 10,000 bar staff across the country by spring next year.

At today’s meeting, which comes just weeks before Christmas and when VAWG is known to rise, the Prime Minister will hear from police forces and industry leaders about the tactics already being used to keep women safe and urge other forces and venues to follow their lead.

Thames Valley Police Chief Constable Jason Hogg will set out how his force has deployed plain clothed officers into areas around bars and clubs to spot predatory sexual behaviour. This tactic is now being used by over 20 forces across England and Wales.

British Transport Police Chief Constable Lucy D’Orsi will set out work being undertaken to keep women safe using public transport. This includes relaunching the text-to-report number, 61016, that is now free across all major networks, allowing women to discretely contact British Transport Police for help if they are or someone else is being harassed on the train. In one case, a victim texted 61016 to alert the police, officers met the train, and the offender was arrested just half an hour later.

Chief Constable Maggie Blyth, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) lead for VAWG, will talk about the ongoing scale and threat of VAWG, its prevalence in the night-time economy and what policing needs to tackle offenders and reduce the number of victims enduring abuse.

Kate Nicholls, chief executive officer of UKHospitality and chair of Institute of Licensing, will discuss supporting the Home Office in its plans to roll out nationwide training to make sure all door and bar staff know how to prevent spiking and have the skills needed to act if they suspect someone has been spiked.

The Prime said: “My government was elected on a pledge to take back our streets, and we will never achieve this if women and girls do not feel safe at night.

“Today, I will bring together police chiefs, heads of industry and transport bosses to demand coordinated action to stop women being targeted, whether they are out with friends or simply travelling home.

“Cracking down on spiking is central to that mission.

“We know it can be incredibly difficult for victims to come forward to report this awful crime, and these cases can be very hard to prosecute. We must do more to bring the vile perpetrators who carry out this cowardly act, usually against young women and often to commit a sexual offence, to justice.

“That is why I made a promise that, if elected, I would make spiking a new criminal offence. Today, I am proud to have come good on that pledge.”

Sir Keir said its commitment to halve VAWG in the next decade was a fundamental part of the mission to make streets safeer.

The Government has already announced plans to launch new Domestic Abuse Protection Orders to give greater protection to victims, and that domestic abuse specialists will be embedded in 999 control rooms.

Assistant Chief Constable Samantha Millar, NPCC VAWG strategic programme director, said: “Spiking can have a significant, traumatic impact on victims and feelings of safety in the night-time economy, particularly for women and girls.

“Spiking is a complex offence to investigate as drugs can pass through the system quickly and there is often a lack of evidential opportunities, which is why quick reporting and early evidence gathering, including forensic testing, is key.

“Police forces across the country have been working proactively to stop spiking from happening in the night-time economy and improve feelings of safety for women and girls. This includes regular, targeted patrols of busy town centres and visiting organisations, such as universities, to raise awareness of the symptoms of spiking.

“Forces also work closely with bars, pubs and clubs to tackle spiking, and during the first national spiking police week of action in March, forces collectively visited over 1,900 licensed venues to ensure that staff understood how to support victims.

“I hope that the policing response to protect women and girls in the night-time economy shows how committed we are to making our streets safer. I would encourage anyone who is a victim of spiking to report it to the police, you will be listened to, and you will be taken seriously.”

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said spiking is a “disturbing and serious crime” that can have a damaging and long-lasting impact on victims.

“That’s why today we are taking decisive action to prevent this devastating crime and to crack down on perpetrators, by introducing a new criminal offence for spiking and launching specialist training for thousands of bar staff nationwide,” she said.

“People shouldn’t have to worry about the safety of their drinks on a night out. These changes are about giving victims greater confidence to come forward, and ensuring that there is a robust response from the police whenever this appalling crimes take place.”

Minister for VAWG, Alex Davies-Jones, added: “Christmas should be a time for celebration and community but all too often perpetrators of vile crimes like spiking take advantage of festivities to target women and girls.

“As a society we cannot accept that, and this government is taking firm action to keep them safe – from creating a new criminal offence of spiking to working hand-in-hand with police and business to crack down on this behaviour.

“These are just some of the steps that will allow us to achieve our aim of halving VAWG.”

The chief executive of UKHospitality, Ms Kate Nicholls, said their priority was to ensure everyone can go to pubs, bars, clubs and restaurants safely to enjoy themselves.

“I’m pleased that we’re able to support the Home Office in its plans to roll out a nationwide training programme as part of these efforts, to help ensure all staff know how to prevent spiking and have the skills to act if they suspect someone has been spiked,” she said.

“This is all part of hospitality’s unwavering commitment to keeping customers safe and ensuring our teams have the knowledge and skills they need.”