Spiking

Home Affairs Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 9 Dec 2021 Closed: 1 Feb 2024 Parliament page
As part of the Committee’s overarching work into violence against women and girls , the Committee wishes to explore the incidence of spiking at nightclubs and pubs, festivals and private house parties. Read the terms of reference for more detail about this work. As part of this inquiry, the Committee … Read more
11 Recommendations
11 Conclusions
1 Report
3 Oral sessions
6 Letters
3 Events
Activity timeline 14 events
1 Feb
2023
Correspondence
11 Jan
2023
Correspondence
30 Nov
2022
Correspondence
4 Nov
2022
Correspondence
7 Sep
2022
Correspondence
7 Sep
2022
Correspondence
4 Jul
2022
Report published
26 Apr
2022
Report published
26 Jan
2022
Oral evidence
26 Jan
2022
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 16, Palace of Westminster
19 Jan
2022
Oral evidence
19 Jan
2022
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 15, Palace of Westminster
Oral evidence sessions 3 sessions
26 Jan 2022
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Dean Ames · Metropolitan Police Service Deputy Chief Constable Jason Harwin · National Police Chiefs' Council Joy Allen
19 Jan 2022
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Councillor Jeanie Bell Dr Adrian Boyle · Royal College of Emergency Medicine Jade Quittenton · St John Ambulance Michael Kill · Night Time Industries Association Paul Fullwood · Security Industry Authority
12 Jan 2022
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Alexi Skitinis Dawn Dines · Stamp Out Spiking Hannah Stratton Helena Conibear · The Alcohol Education Trust Julie Spencer · The University of Lincoln Zara Owen
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Ninth Report - Spiking HC 967 26 Apr 2022 22 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
22 results
1 Recommendation Accepted
Ninth Report - Spiking
Mandate compulsory safeguarding training for all staff, including vendors, at music festivals.
We recommend that all staff working at music festivals, including vendors, be given compulsory safeguarding training, and this be a requirement that licensing authorities consider when approving events. This might be done along lines similar to training provided in voluntary … Read more
Government Response
The government rejected mandating compulsory safeguarding training for all festival staff but committed to reviewing the Section 182 guidance of the Licensing Act 2003 to advise licensing committees to consider staff safeguarding training when approving event licences.
Home Office
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2 Conclusion Deferred
Ninth Report - Spiking
Outdoor music festivals require higher safeguarding standards for their younger, more vulnerable attendees.
We believe that a more formal and higher standard is required for outdoor music festivals owing to the comparatively younger age of festival-goers and the additional vulnerability that arises from their camping over at such festivals.
Government Response
The government's response focused on improving data collection and victim support for spiking incidents, including establishing a new NPCC reporting mechanism, deflecting from the recommendation for a more formal and higher standard of safeguarding at outdoor music festivals.
Home Office
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3 Conclusion Deferred
Ninth Report - Spiking
Absence of accurate data on spiking hinders effective policy and intervention development.
No-one knows how prevalent spiking is, whether by drink, drug or needle, and no-one knows what causes perpetrators to do it. Anecdotal evidence suggests the practice is widespread and dangerous, and that many people, particularly young, particularly women, are affected … Read more
Government Response
The government committed to bringing forward its deadline to 26 October for updating Parliament on whether it intends to introduce a specific criminal offence for spiking, but did not directly commit to gathering more accurate data on the prevalence and causes of spiking.
Home Office
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4 Recommendation Accepted
Ninth Report - Spiking
Improve reporting mechanisms and data collection on spiking incidents across the UK
We call on the Home Office to increase education and awareness about spiking and welcome its considering whether a specific new offence of spiking is required. We urge the Home Office, however, to focus its efforts first on improving reporting … Read more
Government Response
The government committed to increasing education and awareness about spiking by integrating it into the 'Enough' campaign and working with law enforcement and venues to ensure clear messaging for victims regarding forensics and reporting.
Home Office
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5 Conclusion Rejected
Ninth Report - Spiking
Home Office progress update required on specific spiking offence creation
The Home Office should give the Committee a written update six months from the date of publication of this Report on progress towards creating a separate criminal offence of spiking.
Government Response
The government did not commit to providing the Committee with a six-month written update on the progress towards creating a separate criminal offence for spiking, instead referring to a broader statutory report on spiking to be published in April 2023.
Home Office
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6 Conclusion Accepted
Ninth Report - Spiking
Recognised criminal offence of spiking would provide multiple benefits
The existence of a spiking offence would not in and of itself stop spiking, but it would have several benefits. First, it would facilitate police work under way to identify perpetrators and patterns of offending by enabling the police to … Read more
Government Response
The government committed to reviewing the guidance issued under Section 182 of the Licensing Act 2003 to consider whether to require licensing authorities to address the prevalence, prevention, and reporting of sexual harassment, misconduct, and gender-based violence in their local licensing policies.
Home Office
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7 Conclusion Accepted
Ninth Report - Spiking
Urgent need for improved education and awareness around spiking across sectors
There is an urgent need for improved education and awareness around spiking across several sectors. (Paragraph 47) 40 Spiking
Government Response
The government intends to conduct reviews of international activity, academic research, and anti-spiking initiatives, publishing a final report by 28 April 2023 featuring best practice case studies. They will also consider requiring police and local authorities to present an anti-spiking mission statement.
Home Office
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8 Recommendation Acknowledged
Ninth Report - Spiking
Produce national anti-spiking communications campaign engaging night-time, education, and health sectors
As part of its national communications campaign to say “Enough” to violence against women and girls, the Government should engage with the night-time industry, the education sector, and the health sector to produce a national anti-spiking communications campaign. The awareness … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees with the recommendation and is working with policing stakeholders to promote key messages, while exploring options for further communications and outreach through the education and private sectors.
Home Office
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9 Conclusion Deferred
Ninth Report - Spiking
Strong support for increased venue security despite critical staff shortages
There is strong support for increased security measures in night-time venues, but critical shortages in door security staff.
Government Response
The government did not address the recommendation about increasing security measures or addressing door staff shortages, instead detailing the existing rapid urine testing service established by law enforcement and Eurofins.
Home Office
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10 Recommendation Deferred
Ninth Report - Spiking
Consider support package for night-time industry to boost security and staff recruitment
As part of its wider VAWG strategy, the Government should consider a support package for night-time industries to boost security measures including the recruitment and training of additional door security staff, particularly female staff.
Government Response
The government did not address the recommendation for a support package for night-time industries to boost security and recruit staff, instead focusing on concerns about the efficacy of non-lab-based spiking test kits and existing forensic testing capabilities.
Home Office
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11 Recommendation Deferred
Ninth Report - Spiking
Strengthen licensing authority powers and guidance to prevent spiking and gender-based violence
We are concerned that the Government is not doing enough to monitor licensing authorities’ use of powers to regulate the night-time economy, both with specific regard to spiking incidents and more generally in relation to violence against women and girls. … Read more
Government Response
The government did not address the recommendation to monitor licensing authorities' use of powers or to review section 182 guidance, instead stating it will consider research into the motivations of spiking offenders.
Home Office
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12 Conclusion Deferred
Ninth Report - Spiking
Patchwork of anti-spiking initiatives lacks national strategy and consistency
We are pleased to learn there are many initiatives across the country to tackle spiking but are concerned that without a national strategy to ensure a consistent, wholesale approach, the current patchwork of initiatives may make those in parts of … Read more
Government Response
The government did not commit to a national strategy for a consistent approach to anti-spiking initiatives, but instead outlined preliminary discussions with police and legal bodies regarding factors inhibiting prosecutions, with outcomes to be included in a statutory report by April 2023.
Home Office
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13 Recommendation Accepted in Part
Ninth Report - Spiking
Develop national anti-spiking strategy by evaluating initiatives and promoting best practice
The Government should evaluate the efficacy of different anti-spiking partnership initiatives and develop a national strategy which promotes best practice and requires all police forces and local authorities to publish their chosen approach. (Paragraph 66) Spiking 41 Detecting and investigating … Read more
Government Response
The government intends to review anti-spiking initiatives as part of a statutory review due April 2023, featuring best practice, but currently has no intention to publish a specific national strategy. It will consider requiring police forces and local authorities to publish their approach.
Home Office
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14 Recommendation Accepted in Part
Ninth Report - Spiking
Necessity of national communications campaign to raise spiking awareness and reporting
The Home Office, in partnership with key stakeholders, should conduct a national communications campaign to raise awareness of how to act when people suspect they have been spiked. This campaign should emphasise the importance of individuals and venues reporting incidents … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees with the recommendation and is working with policing stakeholders to promote key messages through campaigns like 'Enough'. It will explore options for further communications, but does not explicitly commit to anonymous reporting or a new national campaign.
Home Office
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15 Conclusion Accepted
Ninth Report - Spiking
Inadequate accessibility to testing and forensic capacity for spiking victims
Accessibility to testing is an issue for many victims and the lack of forensic testing capacity creates evidential difficulties for the police.
Government Response
The government already established an accredited rapid urine testing service in partnership with Eurofins in Autumn 2021 and will continue it throughout 2022, with plans to improve it in 2023.
Home Office
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16 Recommendation Accepted
Ninth Report - Spiking
Introduce duty on all police forces to provide rapid spiking testing service
To ensure adequate, timely provision of forensic sampling of a standard sufficient to be admissible as evidence in court, the Government should introduce a duty on all police forces to provide those who report any spiking incident with the rapid … Read more
Government Response
The government states that law enforcement, in partnership with Eurofins, already established a rapid urine testing service in response to needle spiking, which has been open to all spiking samples since January 2022 and will be developed further in 2023.
Home Office
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17 Conclusion Acknowledged
Ninth Report - Spiking
Concerns about false assurances from existing spiking testing kits for victims
We are pleased that the Home Office is planning a scientific review of testing kits but are concerned that in the meantime victims could get false assurances from such kits.
Government Response
The government recognises the concern about test kits providing false assurances, stating no single kit covers all drugs and urges victims to contact police for forensic analysis, mentioning ongoing evaluations and a statutory review.
Home Office
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18 Recommendation Not Addressed
Ninth Report - Spiking
Call for Home Office to require warnings and expedite spiking testing review
The Home Office should require commercially available drug-testing products to carry warnings about their limitations; expedite its planned scientific review of the relative merits of the various spiking testing pilots being run by the police, universities and hospitals and report … Read more
Government Response
The government states there is no single effective test kit and urges victims to contact police for forensic analysis. It does not commit to requiring warnings on commercial products, expediting the review to a 3-month deadline, or supporting wider adoption after the review.
Home Office
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19 Conclusion Acknowledged
Ninth Report - Spiking
Limited police understanding of spiker motives hinders national anti-spiking strategy development
Limited police understanding of the motives and profile of spiking offenders hampers their ability to develop a national strategy on tackling spiking.
Government Response
The Government agrees that the motivations of spiking offenders remain unclear and will consider options for research into the motivations of offenders and will also carry out a review of academic research into spiking.
Home Office
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20 Recommendation Acknowledged
Ninth Report - Spiking
Commission academic research into spiker motivations for national anti-spiking strategy
The Home Office should commission academic research into the motivations and profile of spikers, to feed into a national strategy for preventing, detecting and prosecuting spiking offences.
Government Response
The government agrees that offender motivations are unclear and will consider options for research into motivations, and intends to carry out a review of existing academic research into spiking.
Home Office
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21 Conclusion Deferred
Ninth Report - Spiking
Disappointment over exceptionally low number of successful spiking prosecutions
Successful prosecution has a deterrent value for both actual and would-be spikers and sends a clear message that spiking is a crime. We are therefore disappointed by the very low number of successful prosecutions for spiking offences.
Government Response
The government acknowledges the need for more successful prosecutions and will include the outcomes of discussions with police forces, the Crown Prosecution Service and the Attorney General’s office on factors inhibiting prosecutions in the statutory report on spiking, due to be published no later than 28 April 2023.
Home Office
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22 Recommendation Deferred
Ninth Report - Spiking
Need for government strategy to address factors inhibiting spiking prosecutions
To increase the deterrent effect of increased prosecutions, Government should devise a strategy to address each of the factors that inhibit prosecution from lack of reporting through to failure to collect forensic evidence. (Paragraph 103) 42 Spiking
Government Response
The government recognises factors inhibiting spiking prosecutions and has begun discussions with police, CPS, and the Attorney General's office, with outcomes to be included in a statutory report by April 2023.
Home Office
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Government Response AI assessment · 22 of 11 classified
Accepted 6
Accepted in Part 2
Acknowledged 4
Deferred 8
Not Addressed 1
Rejected 1
Total 11 recs + 11 conclusions
Correspondence 6 letters
1 Feb 2023 To committee Letter from the Minister for Safeguarding on the Government's work to tackle spiking, dated 30 January 2023
Parliament page
11 Jan 2023 To committee Letter from Minister for Safeguarding on the Government's update to the Home Affairs Committee on the creation of a specific criminal offence for Spiking and the Committee's other recommendations, dated 20 December 2022
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30 Nov 2022 To committee Letter from Home Secretary on introducing a criminal offence for spiking, dated 22 November 2022
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4 Nov 2022 From committee Letter to the Home Secretary on introducing a criminal offence for spiking, dated 4 November 2022
Parliament page
7 Sep 2022 To committee Letter from the Home Secretary on the Government’s response to the Home Affairs Select Committee’s Report on Spiking, dated 15 August 2022
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7 Sep 2022 From committee Letter to the Home Secretary on the Government’s response to the Home Affairs Select Committee’s Report on Spiking, dated 20 July 2022
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