#SPIKED update: New spiking offence to be made law after King's Speech
The new offence looks set to form part of the Kings Speech
Spiking is to become a new, specific offence as part of a raft of announcements made as part of the King's Speech.
Charles III is setting out plans of the new Labour administration following Sir Keir Starmer's landslide victory in the General Election.
The law change has been long called for by campaigners, who say the current rules, underpinned by the 1861 Offences Against the Person Act, are outdated and mean opportunities to catch offenders are missed.
#Spiked investigation heard calls for change
Last year, our #Spiked investigation laid bare the scale of the spiking issue in villages, towns and cities up and down the country.
It heard from criminologists, police figures, politicians and victims to paint a shocking picture of the current spiking scene.
WATCH: Check out our #Spiked investigation
As part of the investigation, the government were heard to be challenged to update the law around spiking - but changes later announced by the Home Secretary were not delivered because the General Election was called.
Labour plans to tackle spiking
Sir Keir Starmer promised the specific offence would be a priority for an incoming Labour government, telling us: "This is a modern version of an offence against women and girls and we need to tackle it head on.
"We've got an action plan, to make it an specific offence, and deal with what is yet another example of violence against women and girls."
The new laws will affect England and Wales and will be set out in the King's Speech.
Former National Police Chief's Council Lead Jason Harwin agreed that a specific offence would make it easier to record these incidents - and make it clear that spiking was illegal.
He told our investigation: "By having a set piece of legislation that shows spiking is an offence, straight away it shows the importance of it.
"The fact is it can lead to better sentencing for those who are caught under that offence, and it shows, for victims, that it's important and we're going to take more action as well.
"We want to make it as easy as possible for officers to record it correctly, to identify a certain pattern of behaviour, whether it be in a certain location, or a certain type of offender and therefore gives us the best opportunity to catch those responsible."
Campaigners thrilled to hear spiking in the Kings Speech
Dawn Dines has campaigned for a change in the law for decades - her Stamp out Spiking organisation travels the country supporting victims and working with councils, police and the night-time economy to make a difference in communities across the UK.
On hearing that spiking was to be included in the Kings Speech, Dawn said: "I am very confident that the Labour Party are going to deliver.
"It's so important for our King to realise spiking has been affecting men and women across the country and I think that will then filter down through the ranks and then I'm sure our Labour government are going to stick to their word."
You can find out more about the #Spiked investigation and links to services if you've been impacted by it