A Guernsey guide to reporting spiking has been released to provide support to anyone who suspects they may have been spiked.
The guide was created by local nighttime economy safety charity, SafetyNet, working in partnership with Guernsey Police, Crimestoppers, Willow House and Victim Support/Witness Support. It offers practical advice on the various options for reporting suspected spiking in Guernsey.
Guernsey Police has received 17 reports of spiking so far this year, bringing the total number of spiking reports in Guernsey since 2019 to 107. There have been no confirmed cases of spiking from these reports.
SafetyNet Chair, Poppy Murray, said she hoped the guide would start to shed a light on spiking in the island. “SafetyNet receives more messages about suspected spiking than sexual assault and harassment combined. This includes reports from parents and husbands/wives whose children/partners have ended up in hospital from their symptoms,” explained Poppy.
“It is extremely unlikely that Guernsey is the only country in the world where spiking has never happened. We think it is much more likely that spiking is difficult to prove in Guernsey, as it is in the UK and Jersey also. We wanted to find out why, so we met with Guernsey Police earlier this year to try to understand the barriers.
“Our meeting with Guernsey Police was extremely insightful, and we were pleased to see that members of the public have several options for reporting spiking, including ways to report anonymously. We hope that the guide will encourage more people to report suspected spiking in whatever way they feel most comfortable, and to get support from local services.”
Options for reporting suspected spiking in Guernsey include making a report directly to the police or making anonymous reports to Crimestoppers or the Spike Report, which are both independent from the police. The guide also includes information about tests for spiking and details of local independent support services: Willow House and Victim Support/Witness Support.
Poppy continued: “We know that a lot of our followers are nervous to make a report to the police, so it’s important they know what other options are available. We do, however, hope that the support that Guernsey Police has shown for SafetyNet and their help in producing this guide will encourage the public to believe that the police will take reports of spiking seriously.”
Guernsey Police Detective Sergeant, Thomas Lowe, said: “Guernsey Police was happy to support SafetyNet in creating this Guernsey Guide to Reporting Spiking, which will be a very useful tool for members of the public in the nighttime economy.
“We investigate every report of suspected spiking with a victim-first approach. Although no cases of spiking have ever been confirmed in Guernsey, we follow all lines of enquiry and are led by the evidence in our unbiased investigations. Continued reports allow us to build a picture of the type of offending which may be occurring in the community, and generally speaking, if people don’t come forward to report an offence, we can’t tackle it.
“I hope the guide will help encourage continued reporting to the police, who are ready, willing, and able to support the public.”
The guide can be viewed/downloaded for free here or collected from various locations around Guernsey including parish Douzaines, Pingquay, and the police station. Ecofriendly, reusable DrinkSeals which help to prevent drink spiking can also be collected from these locations.
Information about other collection points will be provided on the SafetyNet Facebook and Instagram accounts in due course.
