Surrey Police say there have been no reports of injection spiking
But anyone who thinks they may have been a victim is asked to come forward
Surrey Police has confirmed there have been no reports of injection spiking in the county so far but is working with neighbouring forces and nightclub owners.
A report of a student from Surrey being spiked with a needle in a Nottingham nightclub has led the force to reviewing reported cases of spiking to see if there is a problem.
The force is working with North Hamptonshire, Thames Valley and the Met Police to get guidance on tackling the issue proactively.
Temporary Detective Superintendent, Matt Barcraft-Barnes said in a briefing: “In Surrey we’ve had no reports of needle spiking. We occasionally within the rape investigation team get reports of drinks being spiked.
“The difficulty with drinks being spiked is the drug leaves the blood system so quickly it’s really difficult to prove. So our evidence is anecdotal but we are reviewing spiking offences to see if we do have a problem in Surrey.
“We are trying to work with forces such as Thames Valley Police, North Hamptonshire and the Met Police who have got some proactive strategies around policing and nighttime economies to see if they can do prevention around some of these issues.
“We’re just assessing what they’re currently doing to see if that will play a role in Surrey but currently we have no reports on needle spiking.”
Chief Constable Gavin Stephens added that police were working with pubs and clubs to give advice, and asked anyone who thought they might have been affected to come forward and tell police.
He said: “We have licencing officers and drug liaison officers that will give those premises advice on drink spiking.
“We’ve got in place the colleagues with the expertise that would be able to give that sort of prevention advice but we’ve not received any reports.
“That’s not to say it hasn’t happened in Surrey and if there’s anybody who wants to come forward to report that cost please do come forward and report any concerns.”
A Royal Holloway Students’ Union spokesperson said: “The recent rise in reports of spiking across the UK are extremely worrying and while we are fortunate that we have not had any reported injection spiking events we continue to remain vigilant.
“At the Students’ Union we have increased our security protocols so that every individual entering our nightclub is searched before entry. Alongside this, we are taking a number of proactive measures and students are offered plastic anti-spiking bottle stoppers whenever they purchase a bottled beverage.
“We are trialling protective drinks covers and drug testing kits, and we have recently re-launched our on campus educational awareness campaign focused on drink spiking.
“It’s important to remember that the blame for drink spiking lies with the perpetrator and the Union works closely with the University and Surrey Police and we will always push for prosecution where possible.”