Drinks spiking ‘rare’ in North Kesteven say council officials

Drinks spiking is still rare in North Kesteven, report officials.

The district’s licensing committee have been urged to be vigilant after numerous reports of people having substances slipped in their drinks or injected.

The Minister for Crime and Policing, Kit Malthouse has encouraged councillors in charge of licensing to work closely with the police and other bodies to prevent this.

North Kesteven District Council says pubs and clubs are quickly notified of any new threats to customers’ safety.

“There have been numerous media articles over recent years relating to reports of people being ‘spiked’ within the night-time economy,” a report which will go before the committee next week says.

“Such instances were historically linked to a substance being surreptitiously added to a person’s drink. Lately there have been reports of people being injected with a substance.

“Within the district, reports of spiking incidents are rare. Licensed premises are generally aware of the potential for drink spiking and any new or upcoming trends are notified to the trade via organisations such as Pubwatch or the Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce.”

However, it acknowledges many incidents go unreported, with people not realising they have been spiked or reluctant to contact police.

Students at a number of universities around the country last year temporarily boycotted their local nightspots to highlight their concern about drink spiking.

MP Kit Malthouse said in his letter spiking can be a “very distressing and frightening experience” for victims.

“Although we know that not all cases of spiking occur in licensed premises, we understand that these settings might be specifically targeted by offenders. I am therefore writing to licensing committees to encourage you to continue to work with local partners – particularly the police – to make sure this concern is highlighted and addressed appropriately and collaboratively,” he wrote in his letter.

Licences where crimes such as spiking occur can get additional requirements, such as door staff, CCTV and entry searches.