SPIKE TERROR GIRL IN POLICE DRUG KIT PLEA
Time crucial for evidence
A young woman who believes her drink was spiked said victims are being failed because police and health experts are not carrying out drug testing fast enough.
Accountant Jess Insall, 19, was found slumped at a toilet by a friend on a night out in Glasgow but a series of delays meant it was 34 hours before she was drug tested.
Jess wants officers to carry drug test kits after discovering it is Police Scotland policy not to test after 12 hours.
That’s because it’s unlikely by then that the most common drug used in the attacks, GHB, will be found.
Jess, who found this out via a freedom of information request, said: “The police need to prioritise getting testing done as soon as possible and, more importantly, they need to change the attitude of, if they don’t find any drugs then the person isn’t spiked.
“Spiking seems very common but, when you look at police statements, they barely ever find drugs, so it’s changing a mindset that you might never find anything but maybe that’s because GHB can be out of your system.
“The police, when responding to events like this, especially on a Friday or Saturday night, should always have test kits with them. You don’t need complicated tests, just a urine sample, and they have little tests that they can bring out with them.”
The Scottish Government has said it is taking the issue seriously and launched a taskforce to investigate the problem.
But Jess said without accurate data on just how many people have been spiked, the work is pointless.
She was at The Golf Lounge in West George Street, Glasgow, at about 10pm on March 25 when she suddenly fell ill.
An ambulance came but mixed advice from NHS staff and police led to the long delay in having a drugs test carried out. Jess is still to receive the final results of the test and police investigation and, while she’s accepted GHB will never be found, if another drug was used, it could still have been in her system.
Tory MSP Russell Findlay said: “Jess’s research confirms the absolute necessity for samples to be taken as soon as possible.
“It is vital for Police Scotland and the NHS to work together to ensure clear protocols are in place and I’d urge the Scottish Government’s spiking task force to put this at the top of its agenda.”
Detective Inspector Stuart Gillies said: “Officers are conducting inquiries into the report of drink spiking at a premises on West George Street, Glasgow, on March 25. The welfare of victims in these incidents is of paramount importance. Police Scotland has clear protocols in place to ensure full and thorough investigations are carried out in all reported incidents. This includes obtaining samples where appropriate.”