The UK government is planning to make spiking a specific criminal offence, according to sources ahead of this week’s King’s Speech. Over 35 bills are expected to be announced on the day itself, and spiking is expected to be one of the most notable. Although the practice is already illegal, with ample coverage from existing legislation like the 1861 Offences Against the Person Act, the Labour and Conservative manifestos both cited spiking as a crime that needed a more specific law to help police tackle it.
Spiking is the act of adding drugs to someone’s drink without their knowledge or consent, and the Metropolitan Police have reported a 13% increase in the number of recorded spiking incidents over the last year, due to a quadruple rise in recent years. Most reported cases happen in public places, including bars and nightclubs – but the National Police Chief’s Council fears that many go unnoticed and unreported because drugs can clear the system quickly, making forensic evidence hard to acquire.
The King’s Speech is a chance to announce the government’s proposed plans for the new parliamentary term, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer noting that the government is keen to focus on economic growth. However, the programme is also an opportunity to outline the key priorities in other areas – such as the proposed Martyn’s Law, named after bombing victim Martyn Hett. The legislation, which was promised by Rishi Sunak, would require venues and local authorities to have preventative plans to deal with terror attacks. Plans were introduced last term but failed to pass parliament before the election, much to the disappointment of Martyn’s mother, Figen Murray, who felt “let down” by Mr Sunak’s approach
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More