Wednesday 10-11-2021 - 12:30

Spiking Statement

In light of the recent increase in the reporting of drink-spiking cases, as a Students’ Union, we think it is important that we make our stance on the issue clear.

Drink spiking is when somebody adds drugs or alcohol to your drink without your knowledge or consent. 

Student safety is our number one priority as a students’ union, and we firmly believe that no student should have to go out in fear of being spiked, harassed or made to feel unsafe. This predatory behaviour needs to be stamped out and we will always strive to make our own venue, Glyn’s Bar, as safe as possible. If you ever feel in danger in our venue, don’t hesitate to approach one of our staff team. We will always offer a helping hand. 

We have a number of preventative measures already in place:

• The University security team is located in the SU building
• There is a contact point outside the main SU door that links to security 24/7
• For our evening events, we always have additional security staff from a trusted partner company 
• Our evening events are ticketed and we hold records of those who have attended

In the future, we are endeavouring to improve the reach of our CCTV coverage and bring in anti-spike glass covers for our drinks. 

We can help prevent occurrences of drink-spiking by:

• Not accepting drinks from strangers
• Never leaving your drink unoccupied
• Always stay with your friends or in groups
• Don’t leave a venue alone and always go home with someone you trust
• Make a plan for how you are going to get home prior to going out 

If you are ever in a situation where you suspect that you’ve been spiked, here’s what you can do:

• Tell or call someone you trust
• Try and find a safe place
• If you feel in danger, call 999 and be wary of accepting help from anyone you do not know or feel unsafe with
• Go to the nearest A&E department if you feel unwell
• If you do not feel unwell, ask a trusted person to take you home and stay with you until the drugs have fully left your system 
• Send a friend or family member your live location e.g. via WhatsApp

If you suspect that a friend has been spiked, then make sure you do the following: 

• Stay with them
• Alert the venue manager or a member of staff
• Keep talking with them and reassure them
• Don’t let them go home on their own
• Don’t leave them with someone they don’t know or trust
• If they are drinking alcohol, encourage them to not consume any more
• Call an ambulance if their condition deteriorates

We are aware that this is an ongoing discussion and there is more that needs to be done. This will be brought up in the next Student Council meeting. If any of our students have suggestions on what we could do to make our space safer, then please contact us at union@glyndwr.ac.uk. 

For more information on drink-spiking, click here 

 

Written by Lauren, SU President

 

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