Drink spiking fears
Drink spiking fears
by Gemma Hockey
POLICE are today urging victims of drink spiking to come forward after fears that the smoking ban may be putting more women at risk.
An email was sent around the island yesterday warning of how one girl had been targeted in Town.
It follows calls to the Guernsey Press from another woman who said she too had fallen prey while drinking with friends in Bar One, earlier this month.
Some licensees believe women leaving their drinks unattended to pop outside for a cigarette are adding to the danger.
And with the start of the new party season just a few weeks away, police are calling on everyone to be more vigilant.
Crime prevention officer PC Bernie English said measures to prevent drink spiking could not be taken unless victims came forward.
‘It’s very rare and we have only had one reported case that I can think of in the last couple of months.
‘But if it does happen it’s unlikely that people would let us know,’ he said.
He said a campaign to warn people of the dangers of drink spiking, which was launched in December 2004, was ongoing.
‘We’ve had this issue many times in the last two or three years and we are still sending out posters to bars and clubs advising people to look after their drink,’ he said.
‘It’s difficult. If we are notified we can react to the problem but if we are not notified it’s very difficult for us to recognise that it’s happening,’ he said.
Bar One Licensee Glen Pontin said his wife, Suzanne, was rushed to hospital two years ago after her drink was spiked and as a result was extremely vigilant when it came to his bar.
‘My wife had just one-and-a-half glasses of wine and I had to call an ambulance because she collapsed,’ he said.
‘I would never have believed that this was happening until it happened to us.
‘I hope it’s not going on but if I ever caught someone I would be extremely angry,’ he said.
Mr Pontin said he believed women were more susceptible to having their drink
spiked since the introduction of the smoking ban last July.
‘Now with the smoking ban people are having to leave their drinks while they go outside and it’s very difficult to keep an eye on some one else’s drink when you’re chatting to other people and looking after your own,’ he said.
‘The police don’t allow people outside with drinks so people are having to leave their drinks unattended while they go outside for a cigarette.’
He praised the increased level of police presence in Town at the weekend.
‘It was brilliant they had sniffer dogs and the police were everywhere throughout the night.
‘It means that people think before they do anything and if anyone was to do anything they are either very brave or stupid,’ he said.
Anti-smoking ban campaigner and Guernsey Licensed Victuallers’ Association president Peter Leigh said it was inevitable that people’s drinks would be spiked as a result of the new law.
‘It was something we mentioned during our campaign against the ban that surely this would lead to people having their drinks spiked because people are not allowed to take their drinks outside with them when they go for a cigarette,’ he said.
‘I know it happens to ladies in the UK when men want to get something out of drugging a woman but it seems people just spike drinks for the sake of it here.’
He said he had heard of one or two women’s drinks being spiked recently in Town.
‘It’s ridiculous to have to leave your drink alone to go out for a outside for a cigarette,’ he said.
‘We don’t get don’t get that type of thing happening here because we’re a local pub and we have a smoking area where people can take their drinks outside,’ said the Hampshire Lodge landlord.
‘But there are still people who just go outside and leave their drinks on the table,’ he said.
Drinks are generally spiked for three main reasons: bullying a person who would usually abstain from substance misuse; enabling theft, principally mobile phones and cash; or date rape or sexual assault.
http://www.thisisguernsey.com/code/shownewsarticle.pl?ArticleID=002736
by Gemma Hockey
POLICE are today urging victims of drink spiking to come forward after fears that the smoking ban may be putting more women at risk.
An email was sent around the island yesterday warning of how one girl had been targeted in Town.
It follows calls to the Guernsey Press from another woman who said she too had fallen prey while drinking with friends in Bar One, earlier this month.
Some licensees believe women leaving their drinks unattended to pop outside for a cigarette are adding to the danger.
And with the start of the new party season just a few weeks away, police are calling on everyone to be more vigilant.
Crime prevention officer PC Bernie English said measures to prevent drink spiking could not be taken unless victims came forward.
‘It’s very rare and we have only had one reported case that I can think of in the last couple of months.
‘But if it does happen it’s unlikely that people would let us know,’ he said.
He said a campaign to warn people of the dangers of drink spiking, which was launched in December 2004, was ongoing.
‘We’ve had this issue many times in the last two or three years and we are still sending out posters to bars and clubs advising people to look after their drink,’ he said.
‘It’s difficult. If we are notified we can react to the problem but if we are not notified it’s very difficult for us to recognise that it’s happening,’ he said.
Bar One Licensee Glen Pontin said his wife, Suzanne, was rushed to hospital two years ago after her drink was spiked and as a result was extremely vigilant when it came to his bar.
‘My wife had just one-and-a-half glasses of wine and I had to call an ambulance because she collapsed,’ he said.
‘I would never have believed that this was happening until it happened to us.
‘I hope it’s not going on but if I ever caught someone I would be extremely angry,’ he said.
Mr Pontin said he believed women were more susceptible to having their drink
spiked since the introduction of the smoking ban last July.
‘Now with the smoking ban people are having to leave their drinks while they go outside and it’s very difficult to keep an eye on some one else’s drink when you’re chatting to other people and looking after your own,’ he said.
‘The police don’t allow people outside with drinks so people are having to leave their drinks unattended while they go outside for a cigarette.’
He praised the increased level of police presence in Town at the weekend.
‘It was brilliant they had sniffer dogs and the police were everywhere throughout the night.
‘It means that people think before they do anything and if anyone was to do anything they are either very brave or stupid,’ he said.
Anti-smoking ban campaigner and Guernsey Licensed Victuallers’ Association president Peter Leigh said it was inevitable that people’s drinks would be spiked as a result of the new law.
‘It was something we mentioned during our campaign against the ban that surely this would lead to people having their drinks spiked because people are not allowed to take their drinks outside with them when they go for a cigarette,’ he said.
‘I know it happens to ladies in the UK when men want to get something out of drugging a woman but it seems people just spike drinks for the sake of it here.’
He said he had heard of one or two women’s drinks being spiked recently in Town.
‘It’s ridiculous to have to leave your drink alone to go out for a outside for a cigarette,’ he said.
‘We don’t get don’t get that type of thing happening here because we’re a local pub and we have a smoking area where people can take their drinks outside,’ said the Hampshire Lodge landlord.
‘But there are still people who just go outside and leave their drinks on the table,’ he said.
Drinks are generally spiked for three main reasons: bullying a person who would usually abstain from substance misuse; enabling theft, principally mobile phones and cash; or date rape or sexual assault.
http://www.thisisguernsey.com/code/shownewsarticle.pl?ArticleID=002736
Labels: Drink spiking fears
posted by coalville auto care at
7:45 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home