New spiking test kits in Humberside after rise in incidents

Police say the kits will help them quickly identify what substances may have been used. Credit: PA Images

New kits to test if someone has been spiked are being rolled out by Humberside Police, after a rise in reports of it happening across the region.

They are designed to test for 20 different drugs between four and 24 hours after an alleged incident has happened.

Police say they will help them quickly identify what substances may have been used and to offer support to the victim while forensic enquiries 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.

Humberside Police has seen a rise in spiking incidents, whether through injection or having a substance put into a drink.

Humberside Police has seen a rise in reports of spiking

The force says it is never the victim's fault and it has been working with the nighttime economy to educate it on the dangers of spiking and improve conviction rates.

It hopes the new kits will enable officers to better tackle evidence threshold issues.