York police have taken their anti-spiking operation into the heart of the city’s nighttime economy.
High-visibility patrols hit the streets at the weekend to raise the profile of spiking, when someone puts drugs or alcohol into your food and drink.
North Yorkshire Police believe that it is an under reported problem, and wanted to raise awareness as thousands of students come to the city for the first time.
Uniformed officers handed out cards containing information about the issue. And plain clothes police were in key areas to help people stay safe during the first weekend of freshers’ week.
Inspector Danny Leach, who has co-ordinated the intensification week for North Yorkshire Police, said: “We’ve completed our intensification week to raise awareness around spiking. But in reality our work continues all year round.
“We know that spiking – when someone sneaks drugs or alcohol into your drink or food – is under-reported and many people don’t know the signs.
Spiking facts
Nationally, around 590 spiking incidents per day are reported to the police.
They often include drugs like MDMA/ecstasy, ketamine or LSD being slipped into someone’s drink or food. Strong alcohol is also sometimes used.
While there are sometimes clues your drink has been spiked, like a cloudy appearance or a bitter taste, in reality it’s often hard to tell by taste or sight. The first sign can be feeling unusually disoriented and drowsy.
Sometimes spiking is used before other offences, such as sexual assaults or robberies. But in the majority of reported cases, the only offence was spiking – no secondary offence was reported.
You can find more information about spiking on the North Yorkshire Police website
“So this week has been a big push to address that, especially with students across the county who may be away from home for the first time. Our officers have chatted to a huge number of people this week.
“By talking about the issue in this way, we’re showing people that victims can come forward with confidence, even if they have other drugs in their system, and they will be listened to and supported.”
Operation Lester was a week-long spiking awareness campaign. Officers also attended freshers’ fairs, including at Selby College.
And they worked with pub, bar and security businesses to help them test how staff respond to someone who reports that their drink has been spiked.
The force is asking people to fill in a survey to gather more information about spiking and hear people’s experiences. You can do that here.