Campaign to stamp out drink spiking in North Devon takes to the festivals

The latest stage of a campaign to stamp out drink spiking took to the North Devon coast earlier this summer for one of the region’s most popular festivals.

Members of Soroptimists Barnstaple and District attended Goldcoast Oceanfest to hand out Spikeys and StopTopps devices to revellers to prevent drinks being tampered with.

There is no suggestion the festival has any issues with drink spiking but it is becoming more common everywhere and Croyde event provided an opportunity for the message to reach thousands of people.

‘Spiking’ is when someone puts a drug or extra alcohol into someone else’s drink, often in an attempt to take advantage of their vulnerable state and commit sexual assault. Drink spiking without consent is illegal.

The Soroptimists have been campaigning in North Devon since 2020 to raise awareness of the crime, which often – but not always – targets women and girls.

The group has secured funds to hand out the Spikey and StopTopp devices to local pubs and clubs or at events, with the most recent funding coming from Fullabrook CIC and previous grants made by North Devon Council and Barnstaple Town Council.

Spikeys are plastic plugs with a hole for a straw that insert into drink is bottles, while StopTopps are a single use foil that can be secured over almost any drinking receptacle, making it very difficult to tamper with or add anything without raising suspicion.

Irene Hockin, Joint Programme Action Officer for the Soroptimists, said the group had handed out some 200 bags of the anti-spiking devices at Oceanfest and talked to festival-goers to raise awareness.

They also distribute them via a local police licensing officer to licensed premises and are always happy to hear from events that would like to get on board with the initiative.

Each year they speak to the new intake of students at Petroc College to warn of the dangers of spiking and the signs to look for.

Mrs Hockin said: “A lot of people we speak to say they have been spiked or know someone who has – someone always knows somebody. It is not always drinks either – vapes are being spiked now, or food.

“Drink spiking is not a new thing, but it’s only now people are realising how much it goes on. This all started when I heard from one of my granddaughters about a woman sat outside a Barnstaple pub who could not understand why she felt so ill when she hadn’t drunk much.

“People can be left almost comatose by it. People think this does not happen in North Devon, but it does.”

The work of the Soroptimists was raised by former North Devon MP Selaine Saxby in the House of Commons and they were congratulated on the work they are doing.

A drink spiking storyline is also about to feature on EastEnders, with the episode tomorrow (Tuesday, July 16) portraying Anna Knight, played by Molly Rainford, having her drink spiked while at nightclub Peggy’s.

Dawn Dines, CEO of the Stamp Out Spiking charity, was among those on set to advise on the storyline.

Barnstaple Soroptimists can provide Spikeys, StopTopps and beer mats to combat drink spiking and are keen to work with more North Devon venues or events to stop it. If you would like to work with them, or have them attend an event, get in touch via the Soroptimists website at https://sigbi.org/barnstaple.

Drink spiking – what to look for

If you think you or a friend have been spiked there are a number of things to look out for including: confusion, nausea/vomiting, hallucinations and paranoia, disorientation, poor coordination and unconsciousness.

If you think you or your friends have been spiked, alert a member of staff or security at the venue or in an emergency call 999.

Anyone who is a victim of spiking or knows someone that has been should report it to police immediately to give the best chances of capturing potential evidence.

You can find also out more via the Stamp Out Spiking website at https://stampoutspiking.org