Scotland's new justice secretary has agreed to “improve the experience” of spiking victims after the Record revealed concerns over delays in testing.
Angela Constance was quizzed in Holyrood yesterday after we told how Police Scotland was outsourcing the testing of hundreds of extra samples a year in cases where victims are drugged while out in pubs or clubs.
One young victim, Jess Insall, who waited 10 months for her results after a 34-hour delay in being tested, told the Record the new testing capacity was long overdue as tougher new measures are proposed to tackle spiking predators.
Constance told MSPs police data shows there were 601 recorded crimes relating to spiking between October 2021 and 2022.
She said: “The act of spiking is utterly abhorrent and we remain absolutely committed to working with partners including Police Scotland, health services and third sector organisations to tackle all forms of violence against women and girls.
“It is absolutely appropriate that Police Scotland should take whatever operational decisions that they consider appropriate to have in place additional capacity for spiking cases should it be required.”
When quizzed on the speed forensic tests are processed in spiking cases, Constance said: “These are matters that we will continue to look at very closely because we need to improve the experience of people who have been a victim of such an abhorrent crime.”
The Scottish Police Authority (SPA) has awarded a public contract to major forensic services firm Eurofins, spending £662,978 on the toxicology screening of up to 300 more urine samples a year.
Jess Insall, 20, from Edinburgh, believes she was spiked with banned class B drug GHB on a night out in Glasgow last year but it had left her system by the time she was tested.
She has campaigned for a range of measures to protect other women, saying samples should be taken “as quickly and as easily for the victims as possible”.
Police Scotland said the new testing contract would ensure samples are tested as quickly as possible.
It said the welfare of the victims was of “paramount importance” and the force has “clear protocols in place to ensure full and thorough investigations are carried out in all reported incidents”.
Scottish Conservative MP Russell Findlay MSP, who is proposing a new bill to tackle spiking, said increased testing would be “welcomed by victims who have been failed for far too long”.
Raising the Record’s front page at Holyrood yesterday he said: “Every time I speak about spiking more people come forward with their stories.
“In pubs and clubs and university campuses it appears to be endemic and to some it even seems to be viewed as a terrifying right of passage.
“In the past three years there have only been seven convictions for administering a substance for sexual purposes (in Scotland).
“Predators know that the law is failing to protect young people, so in the spirit of cross-party cooperation, perhaps the cabinet secretary would agree to join me in a meeting with spiking victims and others.”
The proposed Bill, if passed, would create a specific new crime for spiking.
The proposals would tighten licensing requirements and give police and the NHS standard procedures when cases arise. Venues may also be required to keep spiking kits on site to test drinks and train staff to recognise the signs.
The justice secretary said the bill would be given a “fair hearing”.
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