National spiking crackdown led by Thames Valley sniffer dog trial
The dogs are being deployed with plain clothed officers in the night-time economy
Last updated 21st Feb 2025
The Minister for Safeguarding has announced a national crackdown on spiking, starting with a sniffer dog trial led by Thames Valley Police.
It will include nationwide training for venue staff and innovative police tactics to better identify and prevent offences of spiking.
On a visit to Oxford town centre, Jess Phillips MP met the dogs and officers already deployed in the trial.
Speaking to Greatest Hits Radio, she said: "It's not even just that the crime happens that is problematic, it's that it hinders people from going on a night out or feeling where they can and can't go.
"Anything where there is a crime that limits the movements of mainly young women, we can't tolerate it in our society.
"Sexual violence, domestic abuse, spiking, stalking... there's so much volume of this crime that it is affecting the lives of women and girls when they're at work, when they're on a night out, when they're at home.
"There is nowhere that this doesn't touch."
The specially trained sniffing dogs are being trialled as a frontline defence, patrolling nightlife areas with plain-clothes officers.
If successful, they may be able to detect even trace amounts of common spiking substances like Rohypnol when diluted in drinks.
Detective Superintendent John Capps, Head of Rape and Sexual Offences for Thames Valley Police, said: "For us this is all about prevention and tackling VAWG Violence Against Women and Girls and taking a suspect-focused approach.
"It's a really big thing in terms of their ability to detect the signs of drugs that are most commonly used in spiking.
"We see this as being deployed in the night time economy as a really big prevention piece, and what I want this to do is to take the focus away from victims, give them the peace of mind that the the kind of the fear and the anxiety that people can sometimes experience is transferred to the suspects.
"My message to those people is if you're intent on going out and spiking people, there's every chance you're going to get stopped by the drugs dog."
The deployment of sniffer dogs across the Thames Valley is currently in trial, however if successful, more dogs could soon be trained and deployed in police forces nationwide.