Drink Spiking Roundtable, hosted by DrinkAware
Today, October 10th, 2024, Dawn Dines, CEO of Stamp Out Spiking, participated in a crucial drink spiking roundtable hosted by Drinkaware. The event gathered stakeholders from diverse sectors to engage in an immersive discussion about drink spiking, aiming to leverage research, share insights, and build a strong coalition to drive meaningful change.
The roundtable was held to discuss research by Dr Lata Gautam and Dr Agatha Grela of Anglia Ruskin University, funded by the Drinkaware charity and in collaboration Cambridgeshire Constabulary.
Research Findings
Key takeaways from the latest research, presented by Drinkaware and Anglia Ruskin University, shed light on ongoing challenges in combating drink spiking:
“Inconsistent Responses in Nightlife Venues: The study highlighted a lack of uniformity in how nightlife venues in Cambridgeshire handle drink spiking incidents. Reporting to police and preventive measures like CCTV and entry searches varied widely, with uncertainty surrounding the effectiveness of these strategies.”
“Limitations of Drink Testing Kits: Commercially available colour-based drink testing kits were found to be unreliable, raising concerns about their ability to accurately detect spiked beverages. Their effectiveness in providing a sense of security to users was also questioned.”
“Challenges in Detecting Drink Spiking: Issues such as delays in collecting urine samples and the degradation of compounds during storage complicate the detection and confirmation of drink spiking, making conventional testing methods unreliable.”
Conclusions
The research concludes that drink testing kits are not a viable solution, and that training and consistency in reporting incidents across venues are critical to effectively addressing drink spiking.
Both these conclusions are aligned with Stamp Out Spiking’s strategic priorities to support survivors of spiking and increase awareness and education across all stakeholders. For more information about our training services please visit our dedicated training web page.
Participation in this drink spiking roundtable underscores the Stamp Out Spiking commitment to combating drink spiking and strengthening collaboration across sectors to protect individuals and prevent future incidents.
Dawn Dines, CEO & Founder