Police officer shares five common myths about spiking – and reveals the truth behind each

A police officer has busted myths about drink spiking in a bid to raise awareness and help victims get support.

Spiking – when someone sneaks drugs or alcohol into your drink or food – is under-reported and many people don’t know how to spot the signs.

North Yorkshire Police is currently running a week of activities and deployments to share information with people and reduce the number of offences.

It comes as thousands of students attend freshers’ week activities at universities and colleges across North Yorkshire.

Inspector Danny Leach is co-ordinating the intensification week for North Yorkshire Police under Operation Lester - the policing operation for spiking incidents.

Here he shares five of the biggest myths around spiking… and reveals the truth behind each.

 

Myth 1: If I’m spiked but I’ve taken other drugs willingly, I’ll end up getting in trouble

Insp Leach says: “This simply isn’t true and we don’t want this myth to stop victims coming forward. It’s not an offence to have illegal drugs in your system unless you’re driving, so you won’t get into trouble. We’re interested in pursuing the offender, not the victim.”

 

Myth 2: Spiking is only illegal if it leads to another crime

Insp Leach says: “Despite the stereotype of spiking being a precursor for sexual offences or robbery, the majority of spiking cases don’t actually lead to a second offence being committed. However, simply the act of spiking someone’s food or drink, or injecting them is an offence which can carry a significant jail sentence.”

 

Myth 3: I’ll be able to tell if my drink’s been spiked

“While there are sometimes clues your drink has been spiked, like a cloudy appearance or a bitter taste, in reality it’s often really hard to tell,” Insp Leach says.

“The first sign is often feeling unusually disoriented and drowsy. So it’s important to look after each other and know how to get help if you feel like this.”

 

Myth 4: Offenders always use so-called ‘date-rape drugs’

Insp Leach says: “There’s a stereotype that spiking is done by slipping sedatives like Rohypnol into someone’s drink. And this does happen. However, other drugs like MDMA/ecstasy, ketamine or LSD that have a very different effect on you are commonly used, as is strong alcohol. If you think you’ve been spiked and you report it early enough, we can help you find out what was used, for example with a quick, non-invasive urine test.”

 

Myth 5: Nobody will believe me and nothing will happen if I report it

“We take this very seriously indeed and do a lot of work in this area that the public rarely hear about,” says Insp Leach.

“On average, 590 cases are reported nationally every day and the police have a dedicated process in place for when you report it. We also train our police officers, local bar staff and door staff about how to support people who have been spiked, from the moment it happens. It’s important for us to offer support to victims and always listen to what they want to do, as well as catching the offenders.”

 

As part of the intensification week in North Yorkshire, extra night patrols are taking place in town and city centres, when officers will be chatting to the public and handing out information to further educate them about signs of alcohol and drug spiking.

The force has set up a survey to help gather more information about how widely the offence is being reported. You can share details of your experiences here.

There will also be operations by plain-clothed officers to identify anyone acting suspiciously in busy nighttime locations. Police are also visiting freshers’ fairs in York and Selby to raise awareness among new students.

And the force will be building on existing work with bar and pub staff, door staff and others who help keep people safe in the nighttime economy.

Anyone who thinks they have just been spiked, or has just seen it happen to someone else, should dial 999. If it happened in the past, you can call us on 101 or report it online.

You’ll also find more information here: Spiking | Police.uk (www.police.uk)