POLICE Scotland have backed a campaign to encourage pubs and clubs to put lids on glasses, in a bid to stop drinks being spiked.
The force yesterday teamed up with Girls Against Spiking, an organisation set up in September 2018 by Cara Teven, a 21-year-old law student at Strathclyde University.
She started the campaign to raise awareness of the attacks where drugs like GHB or rohypnol are surreptitiously added to drinks. Teven also called on all nightclubs and venues in Glasgow to introduce their own “sippy cups”, saying it “seems to be the only way to be truly safe.”
Commenting on the group’s Facebook page, she said “It doesn’t matter how careful you are nowadays with your drink, when you walk in and around a crowd with a plastic pint or half pint cup, we are still vulnerable to spiking.
“You never think it’ll happen to you but sadly it can happen to anyone.”
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The most recent statistics, gathered by Sky News through freedom of information requests to UK police forces, suggested drinks spiking has more than doubled in three years.
In total there were 1039 cases recorded by the forces which responded. But the real number is believed to be significantly higher, with incidents under-reported.
Police Scotland said they wanted to support the group’s message and help people understand the issues and stereotypes around drink spiking.
Assistant Chief Constable Gillian MacDonald, lead for Crime and Protection, commented: “We are supporting Girls Against Spiking to help raise awareness of drink spiking and encourage people to report these incidents.
“Drinks can be spiked using drugs or alcohol and there is not always a sexual purpose behind it.
“We are aware of incidents where people spike a friend’s drink on a night out because they think it’s funny. This can put that person at risk as you have no idea how a drug or excess alcohol will affect someone, their actions and their safety.
“Lids will help reduce the chance of your drink being spiked and we fully support the campaign to reduce the likelihood of drink spiking for men and women.
“We always encourage people not to leave their drink unattended or let a stranger buy you a drink without knowing what’s in it.”
Earlier this year, the Strathclyde University Union in Glasgow became the first in the country to offer lids for all drinks.
Meanwhile, statistics uncovered by the Scottish Tories revealed that only a quarter of reported crimes of drink spiking for sexual purposes in Scotland are being detected. A freedom of information response shows that 21 crimes of drugging and administering a substance for sexual purpose have been recorded so far this year, however, only four of them have been detected.
The party’s public health spokeswoman, Annie Wells, said: “It is extremely worrying to see any crimes of drugging for sexual purposes are still occurring year on year, and potentially increasing.
“We know that the level of reporting of these crimes is low, so this could be just the tip of the iceberg.
“Of an even greater concern, is the low level of detection rate for these very serious crimes, which have absolutely devastating effects on the victims.
“Victims must be encouraged to come forward, and these are crimes that must be rooted out across our communities.”
She added: “Police Scotland must have the resources it needs in order to catch those who carry out these serious offences.”
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