Smoking ban leads to increase in drink spiking
The smoking ban has led to an increase in drink-spiking, according to the Roofie Foundation.
The charity, which deals with drink spiking and date rape cases, said the motivation for drink spiking has been theft rather than sexual assault.
The Foundation has received between 200 and 300 calls regarding drink spiking thefts since the smoking ban came into effect on 1 July.
Previously it had not received no calls regarding drink-related thefts.
The ban has meant people are leaving drinks unattended while they go outside to smoke.
"I think one of the motivations behind this current phase of drink spiking is to incapacitate to enable robbery," Roofie's Graham Rhodes told the BBC.
"We are getting more and more reports of people who have been drink-spiked in pubs.
"They have thrown-up, they have been ill – in some cases passed out – and when they have woken up, their mobile phone is gone, credit cards, cash, anything they can get their hands on."
To Comment: Login or Register