2022/25066 - Drink & Needle Spiking

REQUEST

 How many incidents of drink-spiking were recorded by your force in 2021?

Please search for this data by means of keyword searches of MO codes, using the terms 'spike', 'spiking', 'drink-spike', 'drink spiked', 'spiked drink', while checking to make sure that they don't refer to some other context (e.g., 'a spiked fence' or 'spiked hair').

• Please tell me separately how many cases of so-called 'injection/needle spiking' were recorded in 2021. That is, reported incidents in which a perpetrator spiked someone by means of an injection, instead of using a pill.

 

Please search for this data using keyword searches of MO codes, focusing on the term’s 'injection' and 'needle', while checking to make sure they do not refer to needles/injections in an unrelated context.

 

3a) Can you please provide a summary of the first five incidents of drink-spiking in 2021, giving the content of the free-text fields/MO codes in full, while redacting any identifying information?

 

3b) Can you please provide a summary of the first five incidents of injection/needle- spiking in 2021, giving the content of the free-text fields/MO codes in full, while redacting any identifying information?

 

 

RESPONSE

Method of spiking	Number of spiking crimes
Spiked Drink	14
Spiked via Injection	6
Total	20

The table above provides the number of spiking crimes that has taken place in the year 2021. The data was obtained by doing a keyword search in the MO summaries on the above terms. Each case was then checked that it was in relation to spiking drinks or spiking via injection, cases that did not relate to this (i.e., spiked fence) was removed.

 

3a) Can you please provide a summary of the first five incidents of drink-spiking in 2021, giving the content of the free-text fields/MO codes in full, while redacting any identifying information?

Victim has attended hospital as they believe their drink has been spiked.

Victim went on a night out and thinks they got their drinks spiked by an unknown person.

Caller believes their friends drink was spiked whilst inside the nightclub. They has no recollection of events.

Victim believes their drink has been spiked on a night out by unknown offender.

Victim has been a victim of a spiking incident at a public house, unknown offender.

The table above provides the MO summaries for the spiked drink offences. Please note that I have provided limited information and that all personal information has been removed to protect the victim’s identity.

 

 3b) Can you please provide a summary of the first five incidents of injection/needle- spiking in 2021, giving the content of the free-text fields/MO codes in full, while redacting any identifying information?

Victim has been on a night out; they have begun to feel unwell and has been sick. The next day they have noticed a bruise on the right-hand side of their hip. They have been concerned that they have been spiked via an injection.

Victim has been at a party when they have become unwell. They discovered that they have a small puncture mark on the top of their left arm, believed to have been spiked.

Whilst on a night out the victim believes they have been spiked by injection with an unknown substance by an unknown offender. On waking up next morning they noticed what looks like an injection mark on their arm.

Following afternoon of drinking, victim has woken following morning to be very ill. Noticed bruising to rear of hand, and small 'pin prick' on hand. Believes that they have been spiked.

Victim reporting being spiked by an unknown offender/substance they have found a small puncture wound with a small bruise, they have been unwell since.

The table above provides the MO summaries for the spiked via injection offences