Nightclubs boycott over rise in spiking
THOUSANDS of young people across the UK joined in a boycott of nightclubs for a “girls’ night in” yesterday as they protested against a reported rise in spiking cases.
Women from various university cities including Bristol, Nottingham, Manchester, Leeds and Bournemouth were staying in last night as part of the Girls Night In campaign, focused on “spreading awareness and challenging clubs” to keep people safe.
Dozens of local Instagram pages were created to spread the news of the campaign, amassing thousands of followers.
It comes after hundreds of cases including drink spiking and injections were reported in recent months.
A man appeared in court charged with rape on Wednesday after a complaint from a woman who said her drink had been spiked.
Greater Manchester Police said the force received a report in September from a woman who said that at some time during a night out in Manchester days earlier her drink had been spiked and she had been raped.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) said there have been 198 confirmed reports of drink spiking in September and October across various parts of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, plus 24 reports of some form of injection.
Meanwhile, detectives are investigating six reports of women being injected while on nights out in Brighton during the past week.
Chief Superintendent Justin Burtenshaw of Brighton police said the reports were being taken “incredibly seriously” and called for any possible victims of spiking to let police or bar staff know as soon as possible.
Bristol University sports societies were among the groups set to join the boycott.
The university’s netball, hockey and women’s football clubs were boycotting Wednesday night’s usual ‘sports night’.
The Girls Night In Bristol group wrote: “Dear Bristol nightclubs... what are you going to do? ... We are asking for greater security, better CCTV at the bar to capture faces of the persecutors... more support and more obvious/accessible support for those who think they may have been spiked.”
Bristol’s Night Time Economy Advisor, Carly Heath, said: “Drink spiking is an abhorrent issue and is something that venues and many others in the night-time economy have been battling against for some time. The recent increase in reported cases locally and the level of concern shared by colleagues across the sector have prompted us to redouble our efforts to fight back against perpetrators of this cowardly crime.
“Working alongside passionate advocates for safety in the night-time economy, we are collaborating in a coordinated approach across late night venues from this week.
“We are providing venues with Drink Spiking Testing Kits, a drink spiking procedure guide to train staff, and campaign materials to display within venues. This campaign will help venues in the fight against the perpetrator and represents the next step on our journey towards eradicating this crime from our city.
“Whilst we recognise there is no single solution to this problem, by continuing to work together we can ensure we’re delivering a high level of safety for those working and enjoying our night-time sector.”