Sudden rise in reports of drink ‘spiking’ in Hull
MOST VICTIMS FEMALES BETWEEN 17 AND 40
NEARLY half of all spiking incidents in Humberside this year were reported in October alone, police have revealed.
The shocking statistic was revealed by Humberside Police on Tuesday following heightened media coverage of the ongoing issue and a nationwide campaign last week, which saw thousands boycott bars and nightclubs in protest.
And while the majority of spiking victims are females between 17 and 40, officers have said around a third of all victims last month were male.
The force revealed that October “accounted for around 45 per cent of 2021’s reports of spiking”, both from drinks being spiked as well as injection spikings.
As a result, Humberside is ramping up its patrols around busy nightlife spots.
The rise in cases reported, they said, was in part due to heightened awareness of the issue following recent injection spikings.
One victim who was spiked with injection at Silvers Bar in the Old Town in October told Hull Live how security staff told her she must have been “cut by a broken glass”, which prevented her from reporting it straight away.
Police have now issued a message to any victims who think they’ve been spiked to report it immediately, as most drugs leave the body within 72 hours.
Date-rape drug GHB leaves the body within 12 hours, and anyone spiked by injection also needs to get tested immediately for HIV.
Reporting it as soon as possible also makes it easier to get justice, police said. A spokeswoman said: “Each year, a number of people are charged in relation to spiking incidents in our area, but that number is a fraction of both the number of arrests and the reported cases.
“Due to the drugs working their way out of the victim’s system within hours, delays in reporting cases can often make it harder to prove exactly what has occurred.”
Anybody who suspects they have been spiked should tell a close friend or relative, report it to the police and seek medical help immediately.