Survey launched to help those affected by spiking

Spiking Intensification Week is a Government initiative which works to raise awareness of and tackle drink spiking and comes following the publication of its statutory report into spiking in December 2023.

West Midlands Police have sent out a survey as part of the week, which runs from Monday, March 18 to Sunday, March 24, to help it better understand how people have been affected by spiking or know someone who has been affected by spiking.

The survey is anonymous and is designed to help the force know how it can support victims and target those responsible.

A spokesman for West Midlands Police said: "Monday, March 18 to Sunday, March 24 is Spiking Intensification Week, which is designed to raise awareness of and tackle drink spiking.

"This is a new initiative announced by the Government following the publication of its statutory report into spiking in December 2023.

"The police take spiking extremely seriously and we work proactively to pursue perpetrators.

"However, there is still an under reporting of spiking, so we want to encourage anyone who has been a victim or knows a victim of spiking to come forward to the police.

"To help gain a better understanding of why spiking is under reported and what we can do to better respond to this crime, we’re running a short survey all this week.

"Your answers will be completely anonymous and we will use them to improve our awareness of spiking incidents and understand what we can do to support victims of crime to come forward and feel confident that their report will be believed.

"Keep an eye on our social media channels throughout the week, as we will be sharing advice and resources across them to raise awareness of what spiking is, what to do if you’ve been spiked and how to report it.

"You can also visit our Safer Nights webpage to gain a wide range of advice for staying safe on a night out."

To take the survey, go to shorturl.at/psBEU