Despite admitting that drink spiking is a serious concern, London bar owners believe there is little they can do to improve the situation.
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Female students are urging the public to boycott London bars next Wednesday in an attempt to force them into enacting ‘visible’ measures to prevent the spiking of women’s drinks.
Worryingly, in the past five years alone London has experienced a sharp rise in the number of reported cases of drink spiking. Cases rose from 136 in the year leading up to September 2017 to 473 during the same nine-month period in 2021.
An investigation from the BBC in 2020 found that 72% of all spike victims were women, with 10% under the age of 18: Luke Stockwell for City News
Girls Night In Movement (GNI)
Launched by a group of students in Edinburgh, a number of Girls Night In campaign groups have since sprung up in at least 25 other cities across the country, including London, Manchester and Cardiff.
Each branch has agreed that the ownership of the issue should fall at the feet of club and bar owners. GNI organiser, Isabelle Broadhurst expresses this view.
“We just want the clubs to take responsibility and night out to be safe
“We want clubs to ensure there are policies in place and for staff at that event to know the protocol is if someone does get spiked.”
The UK has witnessed an sharp increase in the number of cases of drink spiking being reported in recent years. Credit: Flickr.
What more can be done?
The Alcohol Education Trust, which works across the country helping young people to make informed decisions about drinking alcohol, say that the number of reports of drink spiking often increases with the start of the university term.
Speaking about what more nightclub owners can do to protect their customers, the charity’s CEO Helena Conibear told City News that venues need to introduce “much better searches on the door”, before highlighting the importance of lobbying for what she calls “safer nightlife.”
Response from club owners
Despite admitting that drink spiking is a serious concern, London bar owners believe there is little they can do to improve the situation.
Manager of Polpo Bar in Soho, Ewan Andrews, indicated that his business already has sufficient measures in place.
Andrews said “I don’t know how it would affect our bar as we have quite a few security measures already.
“We have cameras on the bar and all of our staff are watching drinks as a rule of thumb anyway.” He added that an increase in security would not solve the issue.
Bars are saying that are doing all they can to prevent drinks spiking: Luke Stockwell for City News
With London’s first Girls Night In boycott set to go ahead next Wednesday, the campaign’s supporters are working hard to ensure that what has been termed as Britain’s “hidden epidemic” is stopped in its tracks.
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Standfirst
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HeadlineGirls Night In movement encourages club boycott following surge in drink spiking
Short HeadlineStudents boycott nightclubs across UK
StandfirstThe organisation has called on clubs to take more responsibility regarding the spike in drinks spiking.
Female students are urging the public to boycott London bars next Wednesday in an attempt to force them into enacting ‘visible’ measures to prevent the spiking of women’s drinks.
Worryingly, in the past five years alone London has experienced a sharp rise in the number of reported cases of drink spiking. Cases rose from 136 in the year leading up to September 2017 to 473 during the same nine-month period in 2021.
An investigation from the BBC in 2020 found that 72% of all spike victims were women, with 10% under the age of 18: Luke Stockwell for City News
Girls Night In Movement (GNI)
Launched by a group of students in Edinburgh, a number of Girls Night In campaign groups have since sprung up in at least 25 other cities across the country, including London, Manchester and Cardiff.
Each branch has agreed that the ownership of the issue should fall at the feet of club and bar owners. GNI organiser, Isabelle Broadhurst expresses this view.
“We just want the clubs to take responsibility and night out to be safe
“We want clubs to ensure there are policies in place and for staff at that event to know the protocol is if someone does get spiked.”
The UK has witnessed an sharp increase in the number of cases of drink spiking being reported in recent years. Credit: Flickr.
What more can be done?
The Alcohol Education Trust, which works across the country helping young people to make informed decisions about drinking alcohol, say that the number of reports of drink spiking often increases with the start of the university term.
Speaking about what more nightclub owners can do to protect their customers, the charity’s CEO Helena Conibear told City News that venues need to introduce “much better searches on the door”, before highlighting the importance of lobbying for what she calls “safer nightlife.”
Response from club owners
Despite admitting that drink spiking is a serious concern, London bar owners believe there is little they can do to improve the situation.
Manager of Polpo Bar in Soho, Ewan Andrews, indicated that his business already has sufficient measures in place.
Andrews said “I don’t know how it would affect our bar as we have quite a few security measures already.
“We have cameras on the bar and all of our staff are watching drinks as a rule of thumb anyway.” He added that an increase in security would not solve the issue.
Bars are saying that are doing all they can to prevent drinks spiking: Luke Stockwell for City News
With London’s first Girls Night In boycott set to go ahead next Wednesday, the campaign’s supporters are working hard to ensure that what has been termed as Britain’s “hidden epidemic” is stopped in its tracks.
Wandsworth council has just launched its 'Safe Havens' scheme, which aims to provide a place of safety to those experiencing harassment or feeling unsafe.
