Police in Stirling have praised the licensed trade for working with them to prevent drink spiking, with two new cases having been reported.
A person’s drink can be spiked to make them more vulnerable and different types of spiking can include alcohol, ‘date rape’ drugs, illegal drugs and prescription drugs.
Drink spiking can happen to any type of drink, even non-alcoholic and the effects can be unpredictable but are likely to be more serious if someone who’s had their drink spiked has also consumed more alcohol, or other
drugs.
The effects of drink spiking can vary depending on the type of drug used and symptoms can include: lowered inhibitions; loss of balance; feeling tired; visual problems; confusion; nausea; vomiting, and unconsciousness.
At a recent meeting of Stirling Council’s public safety committee, Councillor Rachel Nunn asked what the picture was in Stirling in comparison to the rest of the country and whether there were any specific plans to tackle spiking.
Reporting on the police activity across April to June this year, Stirling area commander Chief Inspector Caroline Logan said: “ We received a notable increase in terms of what we were used to dealing with in the local area with spiking and thankfully have seen the frequency of these reports come down significantly - but we do still have reports within this period.
Click here for more news and sport from the Stirling area.
“There are two separate reports of spiking incidents both within separate licensed premises in Stirling area and these are still live enquiries and investigations are ongoing.
“But I think it is important to emphasise that these crimes are taken extremely seriously and this type of crime is one we fully investigate with our specialist investigators in CID department.
“Anyone who thinks they may have been a victim of such a crime we would encourage them to come forward.
“We have a great relationship with our partners in the licensed trade in the local area who are aligned and work closely with ourselves in terms of how we collectively keep people safe.
“We want people to come and enjoy themselves and don’t want them coming to Stirling and being worried about these things.
“There’s been a concerted effort among partners to manage the risk of these things happening. The licensed trade takes this very seriously and have been a fantastic partner for ourselves in this.”
CI Logan said licensees had taken on a range of initiatives including a Police Scotland national toolkit about signs to look for and when there would be a need to intervene, staff training and awareness, and the Ask For Angela scheme where anyone on the premises who feels uncomfortable can use the phrase to alert bar staff.
The force’s licensing department will also follow up with premises on every report of spiking.
“It’s concerning to receive any reports of that nature but I’m confident that we have a very good relationship with our licensing partners and that measures put in place have been very positive in the Stirling area.
In May this year the Observer reported that, of 11 incidents reported to Police Scotland in the last five years, 10 occurred between 2021 and 2022.
A spate of alleged spiking incidents took place at bars and clubs in the city in October and November 2021.
Figures showed that between 2017 and 2020 there was just one reported incident, in 2019, but a rise in 2021 with six.
Up to April 20 this year there were four cases reported.
