We'll also work with the venue to understand how this happened and how we can help them to stop this from happening again.
Help if you're not sure whether to report spiking
We know it can be difficult to report spiking. We understand that there are lots of reasons people choose not to report, and it's always your choice. And if you're ready, here's how to report spiking.
If you aren't sure what to do, the information on this page might help you decide whether reporting is right for you. We're here for you and we will look after you whatever you decide to do.
Reasons people decide to report
Here are some reasons people say they decided to report spiking.
- It can help emotionally as part of the recovery process.
- It could be the first step on the road to a guilty verdict in court.
- It can help us solve other cases and stop the attacker spiking someone else.
- It can help with potentially claiming compensation.
None of these might apply to you. Every decision to report or not report is personal.
We won't judge you
If you decide to report it to us, we won't judge you for where you were when someone spiked you. Or for having had drinks or taken illegal drugs willingly.
Some people need emergency medical assistance after someone has spiked them. Others don't. Everyone reacts and copes in their own way. There is no right or wrong way to feel.
Whoever you are and whatever happened to you, you have the same right to be heard and to receive justice as everyone else.
You don't have to give us your name or details
You can tell us about spiking without telling us who you are or giving us your contact details.
These reports can help us stop people spiking in future.
You can always give us your details later if you change your mind.
You may not remember what happened
We understand that you may not be sure if someone spiked you. Or that you can't remember where or when it may have happened. That's fine.
You can tell us that you think someone has spiked you. Even if you don't think that there's any evidence, you don't want us to investigate or you don't want to give us a urine or blood sample for forensic testing. You're in control.
Don’t worry if you don’t know if there were any CCTV cameras or witnesses. We’ll investigate that for you.
If you are worried about your migration status
No matter what your immigration status, if you report a spiking incident or other crime to us we'll treat you as a survivor and victim of crime first.
But we may find during an investigation that you may be in the country illegally. We may share information with Immigration Enforcement, who will decide what to do.
This can be worrying. We think it's important to tell you about the possibility, so you can make an informed choice about what to do. You can report spiking to us anonymously if you prefer.
Your report can help the venue and others
If you report spiking to us, our investigation will focus on identifying who did it and bringing them to justice.
There are no time limits to report spiking
We would like to know about any spiking incident, no matter how long ago it happened. There is no time limit to report spiking and it doesn’t matter if you can’t remember all the details.
But a forensic test can establish whether someone may have spiked you. Only the police can conduct a forensic test that we can use in evidence if we find who spiked you. But it's up to you if you want to provide a sample. If not, that's fine.
Some drugs can leave your body within 12 hours or much sooner, but we can still detect dozens of other drugs for up to seven days. The sooner you report spiking to us and provide us with a urine or blood sample for forensic testing, the more reliable the test result is likely to be.
You can tell us about spiking even if you don't want to take part in forensic testing and the investigation. And if it happened more than seven days ago, we may still be able to investigate and collect evidence.
Read more about how we collect evidence
You can tell us about spiking-related offences too
If you report spiking to us, you can also tell us about any other offences that happened after someone spiked you. For example, sexual assault or theft.
Most cases of spiking don’t result in sexual assault or theft. But spiking is illegal and carries a prison sentence, even if no other offence took place. We take any report of spiking very seriously.