Pubs attract preying rapists, claims expert

Pubs are becoming dangerous places for customers because they attract preying rapists, according to a police expert.

Detective chief inspector Richard Walton, who heads the Metropolitan Police's specialist rape Project Sapphire, said nowadays rapists were more likely to become friendly with their victims before carrying out an attack.

He stressed that pubs and clubs were the perfect opportunity for rapists to ply their victims with drink or drugs so that it is often unclear to them whether or not they consented to sex.

This is worrying news for licensees who are becoming increasingly alarmed at the number of drinks being spiked in pubs. Most cases of drug rapes are initiated in pubs when drink spiking occurs, according to Detective Chief Inspector Peter Sturman who set up the Drug Rape Trust.

But licensees can help stamp out the practice by keeping an eye on customers' drinks, alerting staff to the dangers, never assuming someone is drunk when they may have been drugged and putting up posters in their bars or in the toilets.

Meanwhile, police in Bury, Greater Manchester, are cracking down on crime in pubs by training licensees to look out for and preserve vital evidence.

Licensees will be taught how to collect and preserve DNA evidence such as bottles to trap offenders such as violent drunks or rapists. Such evidence could lead to a conviction.

The police force is also stepping up its CCTV surveillance by placing cameras in pubs frequented by young people.

The initiative, called Safe and Sound, was launched by the local council after a number of young person venues opened up in the town.

So far, seven pubs are involved in the scheme and the police hope to achieve a total of 18 by the spring.