Guidance: Spiking: advice and support

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Home Office

December 21

11:32 2023

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If you are in immediate danger, call 999 and ask for the police.

Spiking is a crime. You have the right not to be spiked:

you have the right to decide what you eat and drink and what goesinto your body
you should not have to change your behaviour to avoid being spiked
you should not have to avoid bars or clubs orcover your drink at all time??s

Recognise spiking

Spiking can make you seriously ill. The signs you should look out for in yourself or someone you are with include:

confusion and disorientation
nausea and vomiting
hallucinations and paranoia
poor co-ordination and vision
an inability to communicate clearly
memory loss and blackouts

If youve been spiked

We want you to have the confidence to come forward and report these crimes and know that you will bebelieved when you do.? Do not feel embarrassed about reporting spiking it isnot your fault it happened.That is true whetheryou area woman or a man spiking canhappen to anyone.?

Get medical help

If you feel unwell, get medical help as soon as possible by calling 999 or 111.? Ask the people you are with or the staff in avenue to help you access medical help.

Report it

Do reportthe spiking to the police:call 999 or 101 as soon as possible. Some drugs leave the body quite quickly in less than 12 hours.

To report spiking:

call the police on 999or 101 depending on the seriousness of the incident and its impact: ask the people you are with or the staff in avenue to help you call the police
report it online if this is available in your area: look on the police forces website to check if they provide this service you can either give your name or make an anonymous report

The police will be able to help you.There are different sources of evidence which may be available tothem including evidence of a substance in your body, CCTV footage or witness testimony.

Spiking is a serious crime, and the police will want to hear about it. That is true whether or not you went on to experience a further crime. The police will understand you and believe you.

Report the incident as quickly as possible. Reporting early makes it more likely that when the police testyouthey willfind evidence of the drug,which makes a successful prosecution more likely.

Butif for any reason youcannotreport it early,do still report it: there may still be enough evidence to bring a prosecution. It will also give the police useful intelligence to help them prevent future incidents.?

If you are concerned about reporting

It isnot a crime to have illegal drugs in your system (unlessyou aredriving), so pleasedo notlet that stopyou reporting thatyou havebeen spiked.?

If the spiking happened in a private home, youwontget your hosts into trouble by reporting (unless theywere the ones who spiked you).It isthe person who did the spiking who committed the crime.?

If you think you have been sexually assaulted

Go to your nearest sexual assault referral centre(SARC) for specialist care and support.?

?SARCs provide medical, practical and emotional support to anyonewho has been raped, sexually assaulted or abused.Their services include:

crisis care
medical and forensic examinations
emergency contraception
testing for sexually transmittedinfections

They can also arrange access to an independent sexual violence adviser and canrefer you to mental health support and sexual violence support services.?

?Find your nearest SARC.?

?You can also access the services from voluntary organisations, such as the 24/7 rape and sexualabuse support line 0808 500 2222 and online chat service run by Rape Crisis England andWales.

What happens when you report spiking to the police

The police follow clearprocedures when you report an incident of spiking.

?If you feel comfortable talking about what happened, the police will ask you to go over 4 mainthings:?

what happened??
where did it happen??
when did it happen??
do you know who might have done it??

?The police may take a non-invasive urine sample. Because some drugs leave the body ina very short time (in less than 12 hours), its important to test as soon as possible.

Other drugsremain in the body longer, so the police may still take a sample up to 7 days after the incident. The testresults will come back within 3 weeks and they will discuss them with you.?

?The test done by the police is the most effective way of finding out whether you have been spiked it can detect over a hundred different types of drugs.

Do not rely on self-testingkits as these may not be as effective and may weaken building a case against a perpetrator.?

If youre with someone who has been spiked

If a friend, relative or colleague you are with has been spiked, they maybe seriously unwell, and unable to make decisions for themselves.Help them to get medical help, by calling 999 or 111.?

?If you are in a venue, approach the staff for help.They maybe able to help your friend get medical assistance.??

Once your friend has been seen by medical professionals, it is importantto report the spiking to the police.Your friend may not be well enough todo this.You can report the spiking to the police for them.

?If you are in a venue, the staff may also be able to help you report thespiking to the police.?

?Stay with your friend to make sure that they are all right.If they are wellenough, escort them home.?

If you witness spiking

If you see a drink being spiked before someone drinks it, tell them it is important that they do not drink it.

Tell the venue staff which person was responsible so they can find theperpetrator and call the police.?

?Stay until the police come so you can give them your evidence about what you saw.If you cannot, contact the police separately.?

?If you do not actually see someone spiking a drink, but notice someone behaving suspiciously, tell thevenue staff.?

?If you see that someone has been spiked, particularly if they do not obviously have friends helping them,offer whatever help you can. For example, you can talk to venue staff on their behalf.?