Keir Starmer has backed plans to make drink spiking a specific criminal offence in the UK.
As part of the government’s plans to halve violence against women and girls, the Prime Minister has laid out plans to create more specific laws to help combat spiking. It is already illegal under numerous laws, but most offences come under the Offences Against the Person Act 1861.
However, the suggestion of “modernising” laws around spiking had been gaining traction for some time now.
The new law will require bar and hospitality staff to be trained to spot the signs of a drink being spiked. The training scheme will be piloted in December with 10,000 and it is hoped it will be rolled out fully next spring. Staff will learn how to prevent cases, support victims and help “collect evidence”.
“Today, I will bring together police chiefs, heads of industry and transport bosses to demand coordinated action to stop women being targeted, whether they are out with friends or simply travelling home,” Starmer said. “Cracking down on spiking is central to that mission.”
Spiking will be made a criminal offence.
My government was elected to take back our streets, central to this mission is making sure women and girls can feel safe at night.
Perpetrators of spiking will feel the full force of the law.
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) November 25, 2024
In a post on X/Twitter, he added: “My government was elected to take back our streets, central to this mission is making sure women and girls can feel safe at night.
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“Perpetrators of spiking will feel the full force of the law.”
A promise to make spiking a specific criminal offence was part of Labour’s manifesto in this summer’s general election.
Labour’s plans have been supported by the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA)’s Michael Kill. “We welcome the Prime Minister’s commitment to making spiking a specific criminal offence, something we have advocated for alongside others since the Home Affairs Select Committee Inquiry in 2022. This will send a strong message to offenders while empowering victims to come forward with confidence with the justice system’s support.
“Crucially, this decisive step will also allow authorities to focus on perpetrator profiling, enabling law enforcement to build a formidable picture of offenders and close down perpetrators of this heinous crime,” he said.
Kill also pointed out that spiking is just as pervasive outside the hospitality sector. “Domestic settings, including house parties and halls of residence, also present significant risks and require as much focus and preventative action as our licensed venues.”
Rape Crisis England & Wales currently defines spiking as putting “alcohol or drugs into another person’s drink or body without their knowledge or consent”.
According to the National Police Chiefs’ Council figures, there were nearly 5,000 cases of needle and drink spiking incidents reported to police in England and Wales from September 2021-22.
A report in 2022 said that drink spiking will remain an “invisible crime” without help from police and venues. It found that “nine in 10 victims did not receive support” after they had their drink spiked.
In 2021, a petition was launched to review the UK’s drink spiking laws after a rise in attacks.
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