Spiking

Spiking is an abhorrent crime and illegal in any form, whether through food or drink, vape, or needle. It can affect anyone, at any time and in any setting, regardless of gender, sexuality or age.

We are taking a range of action to tackle spiking and provide better support for victims:

• In line with our manifesto commitment, the Government has introduced new legislation on spiking, as part of the Crime and Policing Bill, to strengthen the response to these appalling incidents.
• We continue to provide free training for staff in the hospitality sector to understand and tackle spiking, provide better support for victims, and assist police with evidence collection. This is being delivered by our partner Red Snapper Learning.
• We are funding two weeks of increased policing activity on spiking with the aims of raising awareness, encouraging reporting, and gathering more evidence to support spiking prosecutions. The first week was on the week commencing 15 September to align with University Freshers weeks. The second week will be in December.
• From April 2026, we will be enhancing how the police record and report spiking crimes with the aim of improving both the quality and quantity of data.
• The Home Office is continuing to fund research into the efficacy of rapid urine testing kits.
• We are also exploring options to enhance and make more convenient the process for collecting and processing urine samples from spiking victims.