Tunbridge Wells adopted a proportionate response to the allegations of spiking. The council took the reports of spiking extremely seriously and worked closely with the management of the venue to ensure that improvements were made, whilst also recognising that the venue is generally very well run, that there have been no issues with the venue previously, and that the venue was proactive and willing to work with the council and police to ensure safety of its customers. run a communications campaign to clearly demonstrate that your council takes a zero-tolerance approach to sexual harassment and spiking.

We were really pleased with the speedy delivery and quality of our mint tins! Thanks again for all your help!"On Wednesday, we hostedan open conversation on student safety within Tommy’s Lounge.This wasan opportunity to have an honest discussion about safety on campus and within our venues and the action you wanted to see taken. Thank you to everyone who came down and got involved - following the conversation we'll be looking to build a working group,including students, to progress the initiatives discussed. Donations also enable us to put spiking protection devices into the hands of vulnerable drinkers when they need them most. From large festivals to local venues, we have distributed thousands of free StopTopps and Spikeys thanks to your donations. Street Pastors - volunteers from the local church community who give up their time to patrol the streets on weekend evenings to help keep people safe on nights out. The Home Affairs Select Committee recommended that government review guidance issued under section 182 of the Licensing Act 2003, with a view to requiring licensing authorities to consider the prevalence, prevention and reporting of sexual harassment and misconduct and gender-based violence in statements of licensing policy. The LGA would encourage councils to consider this recommendation carefully and demonstrate best practice by implementing it. Councils who have explicitly referenced spiking, sexual harassment and gender-based violence in their statement of licensing policy have found it a helpful way of demonstrating a zero-tolerance approach to these offences and providing licensed premises with clear advice and guidance on their expectations. Governments have taken many measures to help stop drink spiking, such as increasing awareness of the crime and increasing punishments for it. The public also has become more aware of drink spiking and is becoming more cautious about leaving their drinks unattended.

Support the public: Communicate routes for reporting unacceptable behaviour while using your service or space at night. Bristol has also launched a drink spiking campaign in partnership with Avon and Somerset Police, licensed premises and the BID. The campaign aims to improve reporting, increase prosecutions, create a consistent response across licensed premises and ensure that victims of spiking are looked after and taken seriously. The team has developed posters and other assets that venues can display in their venues to raise awareness. Crucially, these assets are designed to ‘fit in’ with the surroundings in a licensed premises to increase the likelihood of them being used. The campaign has had some early successes. The materials are in 155 venues across the city, the police force has allocated a dedicated resource for forensics testing as well as developing a clear process on how to deal with reports, and the campaign has successfully raised broader awareness of spiking amongst the public. Moreover, there was an arrest for spiking within the first four days of the campaign launching. To further support the campaign, the team has produced a drink spiking process guide for venues. This provides guidance on what spiking is and things to look out for, as well as signposting to support services. The council places a clear emphasis on working collaboratively with venues to improve practices where there are allegations of spiking, rather than revoking or suspending licences. The council has also provided drink testing kits and urine testing kits to licensed premises following a successful bid to the Government’s Safer Streets Fund. This will enable officers to test drinks on the spot to prevent spiking and help them to collect early evidence for investigations. It is also a crime that often goes under reported and that it why it is so important that we encourage victims to report all incidents to the police. Drugs used to spike drinks are often called 'date rape drugs' but aren't always used for sexual assault. Drugs used to spike drinks

Communicating to students

We are a not-for-profit with a range of anti-drink spiking products and services. We aim to raise awareness and promote personal safety issues, by providing people with information and a practical means of protecting themselves. Campaigning can provide as detailed a description of the suspected perpetrator as possible, if known, including clothing If you feel unwell, ask someone to take you to A&E and tell the medical staff that you think your drink was spiked. If you're abroad, a holiday rep or staff member should be able to guide you.

Ensure all reports of spiking are acted upon and that all incidents of alleged spiking are recorded and reported to the police. It is also helpful to the police if staff: Many licensed premises work incredibly hard to ensure that their customers can enjoy a night out safely and deter perpetrators. To support licensed premises, several industry associations produced a factsheet which includes recommendations and some resources for the hospitality sector on how to respond to and prevent spiking. The LGA would recommend that licensed premises:SENSITIVE CONTENT: This article contains several references to sexual assault and the spiking of drinks. Reader discretion is advised.