Funding tests, tweaking the law and more door staff: Government lays out plans to tackle spiking

Police receive thousands of reports of spiking a year – but minimal cases result in charges, a Home Office report suggests

Funding for testing kits and training for door staff will form part of a package ministers hope will crack down on drink spiking.

The measures to tackle spiking, when someone puts drugs into another’s drink or directly into their body without their knowledge or consent, come alongside plans to modernise the law to make clear it is a crime.

Ministers have come under pressure to make needle and drink spiking a specific offence, with campaigners and opposition parties calling for tougher action to protect women.

While full details are not yet clear, the Home Office has said it will amend the Criminal Justice Bill and update the Offences Against The Person Act 1861 to make clear that spiking is illegal.

Officials also said hundreds more door staff will be trained to spot potential perpetrators and signs of spiking.

The government said it will also invest in research into test kits, while the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) will run “intensive operations” on key weeks across forces in England and Wales.

“Tackling violence against women and girls is a personal priority for me and this government has shown time and again that we will do what is necessary to keep the public safe,” Home Secretary James Cleverly said.

“Spiking is a perverse crime which can have a lasting impact on victims. Our comprehensive new measures are designed to help police and staff in bars, restaurants, pubs and other premises to protect victims and bring more offenders to justice.”

The Home Office also said an online tool will be rolled out to all police forces to make anonymous reporting of suspected spiking easier, with new guidance for the public also to be published.

Following a consultation, the Government said it will also support regulator the Office for Students to take action to prevent sexual misconduct in universities and colleges.

The Home Office had already confirmed plans for separate statutory guidance that it said will provide a “clear” and “unequivocal” definition of spiking.

This is expected to take the form of an update to the guidance issued under Section 182 of the Licensing Act 2003.

Spiking is currently covered by several different areas of legislation but there is no single dedicated offence under which to prosecute perpetrators.

Nearly 5,000 cases of spiking incidents were reported to police in England and Wales in the 12 months to September 2022, according to National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) figures.

Alex Davies-Jones, Labour’s shadow minister for domestic violence and safeguarding, said: “The Conservatives are finally moving in the right direction but there is more work to do when, as figures from earlier this year showed, spiking reports had risen fivefold but the proportion leading to charges fell.

“Labour have called for spiking to be made a separate offence to increase people coming forward and the chance for convictions, and for every police force to have a rape and serious sexual offence unit.”

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