Humberside Police takes delivery of new spiking testing kits

The kits are designed to recognise up to 20 different drugs and will be used by the police for testing between four and 24 hours after the spiking is suspected to have occurred.

A urine sample will assist officers in quickly identifying what substances may have been used and to offer support to the victim while forensic inquiries are made.

Assistant Chief Constable Darren Downs said: “These new kits are the latest items at our disposal to combat spiking. They have proven very successful and we hope their availability will reassure the public that they can spend time in our region’s venues in safety.

“The kits pick up a range of drugs associated with spiking, as well as drugs that people may have taken recreationally.

“The results from these kits will only be used for intelligence purposes. We are not using them to take action against people who may have taken recreational drugs, as we work with our partners to offer them the help they need.”

The force has been working with partners to educate all parts of the night-time economy on the dangers of spiking and improving conviction rates where a crime is found to have taken place.

The positive impact of more members of the public coming forward when they suspect they have been ‘spiked’ has provided an opportunity to investigate these incidents more comprehensively, and it is hoped the new kits will allow police to tackle evidence threshold issues more effectively than before.