Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to prevent spiking incidents at music festivals over summer 2022.

Government is clear. Spiking is a heinous crime and we must stamp it out. We have been working with the Festivals and Outdoor Events sector and the National Police Chief’s Council to ensure that they, alongside event organisers, local authorities, law enforcement, and hired security staff are taking appropriate action to protect potential victims and deter would be offenders. This includes opportunities for joint communications, updated guidance for audiences and staff and a shared understanding of the emergency service response to spiking incidents.

A letter will be sent to colleagues across the House shortly setting out further detail.

More broadly, the Government is taking a number of actions to address Spiking, including:

• Working across government to ensure that we have a joined-up and effective response to this issue from education and awareness through to support for victims in healthcare settings.
• Will publish a report in Spring 2023 on the prevalence and nature of spiking and the action that the Government is, and will take, to tackle it.
• Considering the case for a specific offence of spiking.
• Through the Safety of Women at Night Fund, and Round 3 of the Safer Streets Fund, supporting the rollout of pilot initiatives to improve the safety of women in public spaces, including in the night-time economy (NTE).
• Reclassifying GHB and related substances under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. These are so-called “date rape” drugs, which have been used in drug-facilitated crime (though there is little evidence to link these drugs to needle-spiking specifically)
• Deputy Chief Constable, Maggie Blyth, who is leading the national policing response to spiking has also: improved coordination amongst forces; police crime recording; work with local health providers; and provided consistent guidance around support for victims.