Recommendations & Conclusions
22 items
1
Recommendation
Ninth Report - Spiking
Accepted
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 schemes in other licensed premises, such as Ask Angela or …
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
2
Conclusion
Ninth Report - Spiking
Deferred
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
3
Conclusion
Ninth Report - Spiking
Deferred
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 by it and are afraid they will be spiked on …
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 …
Home Office
4
Recommendation
Ninth Report - Spiking
Accepted
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 of the crime of spiking and on gathering information about …
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
5
Conclusion
Ninth Report - Spiking
Rejected
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
6
Conclusion
Ninth Report - Spiking
Accepted
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 collect better data on the prevalence of spiking incidents. Secondly, …
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 …
Home Office
7
Conclusion
Ninth Report - Spiking
Accepted
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 …
Home Office
8
Recommendation
Ninth Report - Spiking
Acknowledged
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 raising campaign should: (i) send a clear message that there …
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
9
Conclusion
Ninth Report - Spiking
Deferred
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
10
Recommendation
Ninth Report - Spiking
Deferred
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
11
Recommendation
Ninth Report - Spiking
Deferred
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. (Paragraph 59) Within three months the Government should: (i) collect …
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
12
Conclusion
Ninth Report - Spiking
Deferred
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 the country that have not yet taken action more vulnerable …
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 …
Home Office
13
Recommendation
Ninth Report - Spiking
Accepted in Part
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 spiking
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 …
Home Office
14
Recommendation
Ninth Report - Spiking
Accepted in Part
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 or concerns to the police. An option to report spiking …
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
15
Conclusion
Ninth Report - Spiking
Accessibility to testing is an issue for many victims and the lack of forensic testing capacity creates evidential difficulties for the police.
Government response. As the Committee notes, law enforcement, in partnership with forensic provider Eurofins, established an accredited rapid urine testing service in response to the outbreak of needle spiking in Autumn 2021. This service will be in place throughout 2022, with the …
Home Office
16
Recommendation
Ninth Report - Spiking
Accepted
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 testing service introduced in response to the outbreak of needle …
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
17
Conclusion
Ninth Report - Spiking
Acknowledged
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
18
Recommendation
Ninth Report - Spiking
Not Addressed
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 back to the Committee in three months’ time; and provide …
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 …
Home Office
19
Conclusion
Ninth Report - Spiking
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 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. …
Home Office
20
Recommendation
Ninth Report - Spiking
Acknowledged
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
21
Conclusion
Ninth Report - Spiking
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 recognises that there a number of factors which inhibit our ability to successfully target and prosecute individuals who commit spiking offences, not least of all the under-reporting discussed in the response to recommendation 2. We have begun preliminary …
Home Office
22
Recommendation
Ninth Report - Spiking
Deferred
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