As part of national spiking awareness week, Devon & Cornwall Police are reminding individuals that spiking can have a traumatic impact on victims and severe consequences for perpetrators.

Spiking is when someone puts alcohol or prescription drugs or illegal drugs into another’s drinks or injecting them with prescription or illegal drugs without their permission.

This also applies to putting prescription or illegal drugs into their food or putting prescription or illegal drugs into their cigarette or vape.

Inspector Martin Tregaskes, drug and alcohol harm reduction lead, said: “Any form of spiking is illegal and the consequences for anyone found to have spiked another person in any way can be severe, including long custodial sentences. Further crimes committed against a spiked person carry their own penalties.”

“Confirmed cases of spiking in Devon and Cornwall are rare. Over the last three years, only four per cent of reports are confirmed as being spiking against a national average of six per cent. Nevertheless, we often see a slight increase nationally in reports of spiking during student fresher’s week, so we are asking everyone to be aware when they are out, to look out for themselves and their friends.

“Victims are never to blame, and Devon & Cornwall Police will always listen and take reports of spiking seriously.”

Anyone who thinks they may have been spiked should tell a trusted friend or member of venue staff or security as soon as possible. Once they are safeguarded, anyone who is a victim of spiking should also report it to police immediately to give the best chances of capturing evidence.

There is an online reporting service on the Devon & Cornwall Police website which prompts specific questions to capture evidence for spiking cases. It doesn’t matter when the spiking happened, and anyone can report on behalf of others. The link is: https://www.devon-cornwall.police.uk/ro/report/report-spiking/v2/report-spiking/