Bar staff to get anti-spiking training as part of Starmer's crackdown on nightlife violence against women

24 November 2024, 22:30 | Updated: 25 November 2024, 00:32

Bar staff will be trained to deal with spiking under a new crackdown on violence against women on nights out, Sir Keir Starmer has announced.

Nightlife workers will be taught how to stop spiking, help victims and collect evidence to support prosecutions by spring next year, Downing Street says.

The Prime Minister will summon police chief constables, transport bosses and industry executives to Downing Street on Monday to urge a co-ordinated response to "this cowardly act".

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Labour pledged in its manifesto to introduce a new offence for spiking, but there was no detail in the King's Speech this year about a specific crime, though it promised to ensure an improved police response to cases.

However, Sir Keir reaffirmed his commitment to creating a new offence on Monday, which the Government says is part of its promise to halve violence against women and girls in the next decade.

It is unclear when the legislation will be introduced, but ministers and officials are understood to be working to bring it forward as soon as possible.

On Monday, the Government will announce 10,000 workers in the hospitality industry will be trained to deal with incidents by next spring as part of an expansion of a scheme piloted from December.

Meanwhile, Sir Keir will hear from police and industry leaders at a meeting in Downing Street about tactics already being used.

Plain clothes officers are being deployed in areas around bars and clubs to spot predatory behaviour, with Chief Constable Jason Hogg of Thames Valley Police due to set out how his force is implementing such measures.

Chief Constable Lucy D'Orsi of British Transport Police will highlight the relaunch of the text-to-report number, 61016, which is now free across all major networks and invites women to contact the force for help in the event of harassment on the train.

Other figures attending the meeting include Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality and chairwoman of the Institute of Licensing, and Chief Constable Maggie Blythe, the National Police Chiefs' Council lead for VAWG.

Sir Keir said: "My Government was elected on a pledge to take back our streets, and we will never achieve this if women and girls do not feel safe at night.

"Today, I will bring together police chiefs, heads of industry and transport bosses to demand coordinated action to stop women being targeted, whether they are out with friends or simply travelling home.

"Cracking down on spiking is central to that mission.

"We know it can be incredibly difficult for victims to come forward to report this awful crime, and these cases can be very hard to prosecute. We must do more to bring the vile perpetrators who carry out this cowardly act, usually against young women and often to commit a sexual offence, to justice."

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: "Spiking is a disturbing and serious crime which can have a damaging and long-lasting impact on victims.

"That's why today we are taking decisive action to prevent this devastating crime and to crack down on perpetrators, by introducing a new criminal offence for spiking and launching specialist training for thousands of bar staff nationwide.

"People shouldn't have to worry about the safety of their drinks on a night out. These changes are about giving victims greater confidence to come forward, and ensuring that there is a robust response from the police whenever these appalling crimes take place."