Source · Select Committees · Home Affairs Committee
Recommendation 4
4
Accepted
Improve reporting mechanisms and data collection on spiking incidents across the UK
Recommendation
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 the reasons for and outcomes of such reports. We invite the Home Office to set out steps it will take to improve data on the prevalence, scale and dangers of spiking. (Paragraph 19) Legal framework
Government response summary AI-generated
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.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government · verbatim extract
Accepted
The Government recognises that spiking is a largely under-reported crime, and that every report of needle or drink spiking is different and, consequently, there is no ‘one size fits all’, or default, crime classification solution. The Government, alongside law enforcement, have taken a number of steps to improve both the quantity and quality of data on these incidents. Following the Home Secretary’s request for the National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) to review urgently the extent and scale of the issue of spiking, the NPCC established a reporting mechanism to enable all police forces to centrally report any incidences in order to help us gain a better understanding of the scale and nature of the problem. This reporting mechanism, and the information provided by forces is continuously under review to ensure that it is fit for purpose and that we have the right information to hand. The Police have been working closely with the Crown Prosecution Service to develop guidance procedures that prioritise victim care and support, including those who may also have taken recreational drugs. It is vital that these individuals are first and foremost seen as victims, and do not avoid coming forward to report an incident out of fear that they will be prosecuted for taking an illegal substance. The Home Office Crime Registrar has issued communications and guidance to all Police Force Crime Registrars with advice on how to indicate within crime recording software more effectively whether an incident was suspected to be drink or needle spiking. A number of Force Crime Registrars have developed local guidance for their forces on how to record incidents more effectively in different scenarios which is a positive step, particularly given their developed understanding of local procedures and systems. We anticipate that this guidance will take some time to embed within forces but expect that it will improve the overall quality of data being reported. Legal framework
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