Spiking

The Government agrees with the Committee that safeguarding training for staff is vital to ensure people attending events such as festivals can do so safely. The Government welcomes initiatives such as Ask Angela and LSAVI and would encourage local areas to consider how they can be used or replicated where necessary. The Government believes that the devolved nature of decision making on licensing matters ensures local areas have the flexibility they need to address matters of public safety whilst also supporting a thriving local economy. It is a fundamental premise of the Licensing Act 2003 that any conditions imposed on a licence – whether for a permanent premises or an event such as a festival – are necessary and proportionate. The Government does not intend to mandate training for all staff at events such as festivals however we will review the section 182 guidance which accompanies the Licensing Act 2003 to reflect that when licencing committees are approving a licence for a festival, they should consider that staff are adequately trained in safeguarding. Separately, the Government would like to highlight constant engagement with the sector, including festival organisers to ensure that they, alongside local authorities, law enforcement, and hired security staff are taking appropriate action to protect potential victims and deter potential offenders. We are exploring with the sector what additional support the government can provide, including opportunities for joint communications and sharing the emergency service response to spiking incidents with festival and security personnel.

The Government agrees with this recommendation and is working closely with policing stakeholders to promote key messages around spiking. The Enough campaign have created and disseminated guidance for hospitality staff on how to respond to an instance of violence against women and girls in their venue, including spiking. This communication encourages individuals to report incidents to the police. We will explore options for further communications, including outreach through the education and private sectors, which will enable us to more effectively communicate how individuals should act if it is suspected that they or someone around them has been spiked.

The Government agrees with the Committee’s assessment that the motivations of spiking offenders remain unclear, particularly around the newly identified incidences of needle spiking, and that the lack of understanding limits our ability to effectively tackle spiking through targeted interventions. We will therefore consider options for research into the motivations of offenders. While drink spiking has historically been linked to secondary offending in the form of acquisitive crime and sexual offences, there is limited evidence linking needle spiking to these crimes; it is also unlikely that this gap in our knowledge will be filled until a greater number of offenders have been apprehended. The Government are aware of a number of cases under investigation by the police, though given the nature of these investigations it would be inappropriate to comment at this stage. As set out in our response to recommendation 7, the Government intends to carry out a review of academic research into spiking to ensure that we are taking the best possible action to tackle this issue. We are already aware of some wider research on spiking, including: • A 2022 survey of 23,000 students from 19 universities by the Tab showed that 11% had been spiked, with 35% of incidents occurring at private parties.5 • In November 2021, a group called Students Organising for Sustainability (SOS) ran a survey collecting student experiences of drink and drug spiking. 2730 students completed the survey, over half of whom are studying at university and under 30 years old. 14% of respondents reported that they know or think they have been given drugs through their drinks without their knowledge.6