United Kingdom: The UK Home Office has stated that it will amend the Criminal Justice Bill and update the Offences Against The Person Act 1861 to make it clear that spiking is illegal.
As campaigners and opposition parties demand harsher measures to protect women, ministers are under pressure to designate needle and drink spiking as a specific offence.
The act of injecting drugs into another person’s bodily fluids or drinking without that person’s knowledge or consent is “spiking.”
This is anticipated to manifest as a revision to the guidelines promulgated under Section 182 of the Licencing Act 2003.
UK Home Secretary, Mr. James Cleverly, remarked that, “The public should be under no illusion – spiking is a serious offence and I urge anyone who suspects they have been a victim of this to contact the police now.”
The adjustments are part of a larger set of policies aimed at combating spiking and protecting women, as per the statement from the Home Office.
Mr. Cleverly remarked that, “This government has already gone further than ever before to protect the public from harm, and ensuring that women and girls can live their lives free from fear is one of my top priorities as home secretary.”
Although there are currently multiple laws that address spikes, there isn’t just one specific crime that can be used to prosecute offenders.
Based on data from the National Police Chiefs’ Council, approximately 5,000 incidents of drink and needle spiking were reported to police in England and Wales in the year ending September 2022.
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