Pubs can't tackle drink spiking issue alone

27-Apr-2022 - Last updated on 27-Apr-2022 at 10:03 GMT

Pubs can't tackle drink spiking alone: BBPA shares support for Home Affairs Committee's report (Pictured: BBPA chief executive Emma McClarkin)

Related tags Bbpa Legislation Drink spiking Health and safety

Pubs work hard to keep their customers safe, but cannot overcome the issue of drink spiking alone, the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) has stated.

This comes after the Home Affairs Committee yesterday (Tuesday 26 April), released a report detailing key recommendations for tackling incidents of spiking, such as a change to the law to include a specific offence for spiking and a call for police to provide victims with forensic testing.

BBPA chief executive Emma McClarkin said: “As an industry we work hard to make sure people feel safe in their local pub.

Welcome recommendation

“However, venues alone can’t overcome this issue and that’s why our members work closely with local authorities and the police at a local level to prevent spiking.

“A national coordinated campaign that is supported by Government is a welcome recommendation that will help to address the issue, support victims and target perpetrators.

“Where incidents of spiking do take place in pubs, our members are also committed to working closely with the police to bring perpetrators to justice, and we support the Committee’s recommendation to make spiking a criminal offence to make this process easier.”

Help people feel safe

The committees report cited a lack of readily available data as having made it difficult to gain a clear picture into the true extent of occurrences but acknowledged many victims felt dismissed by venue staff when reporting incidents of spiking.

McClarkin added: “We welcome the Committee’s recommendations on improving data collection to better understand the issue and we are ready to work with the Home Office and other partners on this.

“As part of ongoing efforts to ensure the safety of customers, earlier this year we developed guidance alongside other leading hospitality bodies, on how pubs, bars and clubs can help people to feel safe in their venues and we will continue to share with our members and other hospitality businesses.”