The Prime Minister will announce plans this morning for a new criminal offence of spiking drinks with thousands of bar staff to be trained on how to spot spiking
Kier Starmer will be speaking to Police chiefs, industry executives and transport bosses in Downing Street as part of halve violence against women and girls
The Prime Minister will set out how the new offence is just one of part of the solution. He will demand coordinated action across the police, transport network and venues to stamp out this cowardly act and take back our streets.
Piloted from December, the training will help equip staff with the skills they need to prevent incidents, support victims and help police collect evidence. This will be rolled out to up to 10,000 bar staff across the country by spring next year.
At today’s meeting, which comes just weeks before Christmas and when violence against women and girls is known to rise, the Prime Minister will hear from police forces and industry leaders about the tactics already being used to keep women safe and urge other forces and venues to follow their lead.
Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper said:
Spiking is a disturbing and serious crime which can have a damaging and long-lasting impact on victims.
That’s why today we are taking decisive action to prevent this devastating crime and to crack down on perpetrators, by introducing a new criminal offence for spiking and launching specialist training for thousands of bar staff nationwide.
People shouldn’t have to worry about the safety of their drinks on a night out. These changes are about giving victims greater confidence to come forward, and ensuring that there is a robust response from the police whenever this appalling crimes take place.
