Ten injection spiking incidents reported in West Midlands
Ten people are believed to have been spiked via an injection while on nights out across the West Midlands in just over one week.
Incidents have been reported across the region as women across the country organise a boycott of nightclubs in a bid to raise awareness around spiking incidents.
West Midlands Police is investigating 10 reports from Wolverhampton, Birmingham, Solihull and Coventry between October 18 and 26 but so far nobody has been arrested.
In all cases the person has either felt a sharp pain, or found a bruise or pin prick mark on their body later on, the force said.
None of the instances reported to the police have resulted in further crimes against the victims, such as robbery or sexual assaults.
West Midlands Police said it would be working with bars and nightclubs to make them as safe as possible and urged people not to leave drinks unattended and to use verified taxis home. Meanwhile officers are "focused" on making arrests over the spiking cases.
Thousands of people are expected to boycott nightclubs this weekend in protest at a sharp rise in psiking cases.
Dozens of local Instagram pages have been created to spread the news of the Girls Night In campaign, where women from various university cities will stay in, "spreading awareness and challenging clubs" to keep people safe.
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.
West Midlands Police advice to stay safe:
Be patient while security staff search people and check ID.
Look out for each other and report suspicious behaviour to bar staff, police officers or city centre wardens.
Do not leave drinks unattended.
Set the expectation that you’ll stick with friends and let each other know where you are and who you’re with.
Keep hydrated with water and soft drinks so you can save money, stay alert and party for longer.
Get home by using black cabs or pre-booked private hires (including Uber) where you know you’re insured and drivers are trained and vetted.
Advice if you think you've been spiked:
If you start to feel strange, sick or drunk when you know that you couldn’t be drunk, seek help from a trusted friend or staff member.
If you think you have been spiked, get a close friend to get you out of the place as soon as possible and take you home or to hospital (if seriously unwell). Or ring a friend, relative or partner and ask them to come and pick you up.
If you feel unsafe, vulnerable or threatened you can ask for help from staff and ask them for Angela. This code-word indicates that you need help and a trained member of staff will then help you.
Make sure you can trust the person you ask for help. Don’t go anywhere with a stranger or acquaintance.
Once you are safely home ask someone to stay with you until the effects of the drug have worn off, which could be several hours.
Don’t hesitate to call for medical help if you need it. And tell police what happened as soon as possible either by calling 999 if it’s happening now or messaging online the next day or when you’re safe.
