Over 100 pubs, bars and clubs visited during Spiking Intensification Week
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The week Monday 18th – Sunday 24th March, we took part in a national intensification week relating to spiking, primarily aimed at raising awareness of the signs to look out for that you may have been spiked, and what to do in that situation.
During the week, our policing teams with the highest number of pubs, bars, and clubs – Manchester City Centre, Bolton, and Wigan – spent time offering out crime prevention advice to members of the public, visiting the venues to make sure they knew how to deal with and report spiking incidents, and out on patrol alongside partner agencies to give reassurance to those enjoying a night out.
GMP's Manchester City Centre Op Custodian patrols, image credit Manchester Evening News
Over 100 visits to drinking venues were conducted as part of the week’s activity, with our officers assisting with the training of bar staff, handing out spiking prevention and test kits, and giving them up to date Ask for Angela materials to put up within their venues.
We had ten instances of spiking reported to us during this week, with investigations underway and one arrest already made.
In Manchester, officers set up a stall at Manchester Metropolitan University’s Sports Fair to speak to students about their experiences of spiking and provide crime prevention advice. They were also there to reaffirm the need to report spiking instances to police, to make sure we and the region’s bars can investigate and make sure everything is being done to prevent further incidents. An awareness session around spiking was also delivered at the University of Manchester. This follows earlier engagement in September 2023 during ‘Freshers Week’ across different universities within Greater Manchester.
Anti-spiking stand at MMU
We set up an anti-spiking stand in Manchester City Centre on the evening of Friday 22 March where upwards of 100 people came to speak to our officers and staff and were provided with spiking prevention kits, including drink spiking test strips, silicon bottle tops, foil "stamp out spiking" glass covers, mobile phone cords and personal attack alarms.
In Bolton, a weekend ‘Safe Haven’ was launched, and will now remain in place for every Friday and Saturday, from midnight to 6am, moving forward. The haven is staffed by police officers and partners, working closely with our taxi marshals on the high street, ensuring everyone gets home safely. Already, this area has been visited by a number of people at the end of their night out, to seek help, advice and pick up drink spiking prevention packs.
Detective Chief Inspector Andy Buckthorpe, who led the week, said; “The aim of this week was really about us having a visible presence during the night time economy, and making sure pubs, bars, clubs, and members of the public have the tools to best prevent and deal with spiking.
Op Safer Streets takes place in Bolton Town Centre
“Ultimately, we wish that no-one would be spiked on a night out, as everyone has a right to feel safe and do as they please without fear of being spiked. But, we know this does happen and are working hard with the region’s premises to combat the issue.
“Engaging with pubs, bars and communities have been key to this week’s action, and we will use the feedback and experiences of people spoken with to inform our intelligence gathering, policing plans, and where we allocate resources to in future.
“It’s also important that people report spiking to us, even if you don’t wish for police action to be taken. What reporting does is again helps us educate bars and make sure we have police officers patrolling those areas, in uniform and in plain clothes, so that other people don’t end up becoming a victim of spiking. We know spiking is significantly underreported, and if I could land one message today, it would be for people to come forward and speak to us.”
Spiking incidents can be reported by dialling 101 or via the LiveChat function on our website www.gmp.police.uk. Information can be passed on anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 and emergencies should be reported by calling 999.