Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce spiking.

Spiking is an appalling crime that undermines the public's right to feel safe whether they are out and about or in their own home. The Government is taking a range of actions to increase awareness of spiking and reduce its occurrence through a combination of prevention, education, enforcement and victim support. This includes:

• Delivering on our manifesto commitment to introduce a new offence for spiking under the Crime and Policing Act 2026. The new offence, which has a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, amends and consolidates existing laws in the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 while explicitly referring to spiking and providing a clearer, more modern legal framework. It is currently expected to come into force in late 2026/early 2027.

• Funding the rollout of new guidance and training for police officers and staff across the country, enhancing their understanding of how to investigate this complex crime and improving consistency in support for victims. This should help to strengthen the response to reports of spiking, encourage more people to come forward, and increase trust and confidence in the police,

• Delivering free, specialist spiking training for staff across the hospitality sector for the third year running. The training helps staff recognise the signs of spiking, provide appropriate support to victims, and assist law enforcement by preserving and providing evidence.

• Funding Project Alliance, an innovative pilot which aimed to increase the number of timely urine samples submitted for accredited laboratory testing by providing alternative, non-policing routes for victims. This included the provision of samples via healthcare settings, educational institutions, the night-time economy and third-sector organisations.

• Investing in research to improve our understanding of perpetrator motivations and behaviours, giving us better knowledge of the drivers of these crimes and helping to strengthen our evidence base for future activity.