This petition was submitted during the 2019-2024 parliament
Petition Fund free drink spiking test kits for all bars
It’s time for the Government to take drink spiking seriously, starting with providing bars with free drink spiking test kits. This will allow for people who suspect their drink has been spiked to get a free instant result and take any necessary action.
More details
The pubs, clubs and bars are back open and the spikers are back out too. There has been a substantial increase in reported cases of drink spiking in recent years, and many cases are not even reported to the police due embarrassment or memory loss.
Crimes are going unreported, and people feel unsafe. Introducing free drink testing kits to bars is an important step to tackling this.
This petition is closed This petition ran for 6 months
Government responded
This response was given on 22 November 2021
The Government has no plans to introduce free drink testing kits. Premises can use privately procured kits and the law allows local authorities to set conditions on night-time venues to reduce crime.
Read the response in full
The Government takes everyone’s freedoms to feel safe and secure seriously, whether in our communities or in the night-time economy. No person should fear for their safety when going out at night. The reports of the spiking of drinks with substances, and of other attacks on individuals in night-time venues, are very concerning. Any spiking constitutes a serious criminal offence. The use of weapons and ‘date-rape’ drugs is not limited to night clubs and as a Government, we aim to keep people safe wherever they are.
Existing law already enables steps to be taken to prevent these awful crimes. The Licensing Act 2003, that governs the sale of alcohol, allows local authorities to set conditions on any business that wants to sell alcohol, in order to reduce crime. These can include requiring there to be suitably trained and accredited door staff and CCTV. Furthermore, a local licensing authority can, when appropriate, require a licence-holder to enforce entry searches as a condition of a premises licence.
Local Authorities are best placed to decide what is needed according to local circumstances. It would not be appropriate to impose blanket conditions, for example, to require all licensed premises to have drink spiking tests.
The Government is working with the police to consider the efficacy of test kits and to what extent they are appropriate for use in testing drinks in night-time venues. We urge anyone with information on spiking incidents to contact their local police force.
In addition, the Security Industry Authority (SIA) is running a long-term public safety campaign targeted at the private security industry, focussing on the prevention of violence against women and girls. The SIA has recently sent out a direct communication to all front-line licence holders (388,000) reminding them of the vital role they can play in preventing violence against women and girls. This includes identifying and preventing predatory behaviour. The note also reminds them of their training and the duty of care required of them and offers guidance on how to help and support individuals in vulnerable situations. Over the next few weeks, the SIA will be running a social media campaign reinforcing these messages and signposting licence holders to best practice and guidance. The SIA has received positive feedback from the industry on this initiative. It has also received early feedback from training providers who are looking at how they can support the SIA’s campaign in their training.
From late November to December SIA operational teams from the Violence Reduction Tactical Delivery Group will be carrying out proactive activity – focussing on Prevent messages around university establishments and associated venues in the night-time economy. Compliance and enforcement work will follow if issues are identified.
More broadly, the Government’s Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy, published in July, will help: drive long-term change to prevent crimes which disproportionately affect women and girls; bring perpetrators to justice; and ensure victims get the support they need. Action we are taking to support women’s safety in the night-time economy includes launching the pilot £5 million Safety of Women at Night Fund, which will support projects that target potential perpetrators, seek to protect potential victims, or deliver programmes intended to address offending behaviour. One of the successful bids from Bristol City Council specifically targets drink spiking problems in the city. They have proposed an intervention which aims to provide drink spiking kits in all police vehicles and at 60 night-time economy venues. This will be a police lead initiative and training will be provided for officers using the kit, including ensuring an appropriate response to incidents. We are also supporting the SIA’s work to ensure door supervisors’ and security guards’ qualifications include specific content relating to VAWG, and also its campaigns to remind the industry and operatives of its role and responsibility to keep people safe, with a focus on women’s safety. The VAWG Strategy commits to the Home Office working with the SIA to consider what more can be done to strengthen these safeguards further.
Home Office
Related activity
MPs want to hear from you about drink spiking
Have you experienced or witnessed drink spiking? MPs on the Home Affairs Select Committee have launched a new inquiry to understand better the prevalence of spiking and the effectiveness of the police response to it.
They are seeking your views and experiences as a victim or a witness of spiking at nightclubs, pubs, festivals and private house parties.
Find out about the inquiry on the Committee's website: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/83/home-affairs-committee/news/159582/home-affairs-committee-launches-inquiry-into-spiking/
Respond to the Committee's survey
The Committee has launched a survey for you to respond to. This survey will ask you about:
• Your experiences as a victim or witness of spiking.
• Support victims may have received following an incident of spiking.
• Any efforts victims have made to report an incident of spiking.
• Personal information, such as age, gender and race.
• Your views on what more can be done to tackle the issue of spiking.
The survey closes at 11.59pm on 5 January 2022. You can complete the survey here: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=nt3mHDeziEC-Xo277ASzSvF-X0roCkZCu1WsHSZpbzNUNjlIQzRLOTBUNTk1R1RaT1lZWklFUVlIWS4u&wdLOR=c6A87D478-B5F7-4AEA-96CC-9D36970C0C5F
Support if you've been affected by the issues raised by this inquiry
The issues raised in this work may be sensitive or upsetting. If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this inquiry and would like extra support, you may wish to contact your GP or the following organisations:
Victim Support
Website: https://www.victimsupport.org.uk/help-and-support/get-help/
Telephone: 08 08 16 89 111
Samaritans
Website: https://www.samaritans.org/
Telephone: 116 123
What is the Home Affairs Committee?
The Home Affairs Committee scrutinises the work of the Home Office. It examines government policy, spending and the law in areas including immigration, security and policing. It's a cross-party committee of MPs and is independent of the Government.
Your responses to the MPs will help inform their inquiry into drink spiking and will shape their final report. They will present their final report to the Home Office for its consideration and response.
Find out more about the Home Affairs Committee on its website: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/83/home-affairs-committee/
Get updates on its work by following the Committee on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/CommonsHomeAffs
This is a ‘select committee’. Find out how Select Committees work:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_2RDuDs44c
You can also sign up to the UK Parliament newsletter for the latest information on how to get involved and make a difference: https://learning.parliament.uk/en/your-uk-parliament-newsletter-sign-up-form/
MPs debate the prevention of spiking incidents
On Wednesday 11 January, Richard Graham MP led a Westminster Hall debate in Parliament on the prevention of spiking incidents.
Watch the debate, read the transcript of what was said and access other relevant material:
What are Westminster Hall debates?
Westminster Hall is the second Chamber of the House of Commons.
Westminster Hall debates give MPs an opportunity to raise local or national issues and receive a response from a government minister. Any MP can take part in a Westminster Hall debate.
Debates in Westminster Hall take place on ‘general debate' motions expressed in neutral terms. These motions are worded ‘That this House has considered [a specific matter]'. This means that Westminster debates don’t end in a vote on a particular action or decision.
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Government announces actions to tackle spiking
On 18 December 2023, the Government set out actions it plans to take to tackle spiking. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department, Laura Farris MP, made an oral statement to the House of Commons setting out new measures to tackle spiking.
The statement follows a Backbench Business debate on Spiking that took place on 14 December. The debate was led by Judith Cummins MP, and the Government Minister for Security, Tom Tugendhat MP, responded to the debate on behalf of the Government.
What measures has the Government announced?
The measures the Government has announced, to tackle spiking and deliver better support to victims, include:
- training hundreds more door staff to spot potential perpetrators and signs patrons have been victimised
- investing in research into spiking testing kits to help venues and police detect if someone’s drink has been spiked
- intensive operations to tackle spiking during key weeks across the 43 police forces in England and Wales
- an online spiking tool to make it easier to anonymously report if people fear they have been a victim of the crime
- a spiking guidance/advice toolkit for the public that contains a range of resources and signposting for anyone who is looking for information on spiking
- supporting the higher education regulator as they take action to make sure universities and other higher education institutions prevent and address sexual misconduct
Find out more about the Government's plans.
What are Ministerial statements?
Ministerial statements are a way for Ministers to bring an important matter to the attention of the House.
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