SPIKING IS DISGUSTING & MUST BE ERADICATED

WITH 1 IN 10 CASES SOLVED, CAMPAIGNERS SAY..

- BY NORMAN SILVESTER

ONLY one in 10 drink spiking cases is solved amid a rise in incidents, shock figures have revealed.

Of nearly 800 cases in the last five years just 85 led to a suspect being identified.

Now victims groups have urged police to treat drink spiking as a priority and called on pubs and clubs to do more.

Dad Colin Mackie, whose son Greg died aged just 18 after his drink was spiked, said: "A lot of victims are contacting us because nothing is happening after the spiking. If there are no prosecutions then there are no deterrents."

Scottish Labour justice spokesperson Pauline McNeill said: "Spiking is a disgusting and dangerous act that must be eradicated from society.

"It is clear that more must be done to not only detect incidents of spiking but to hold perpetrators to account for this vile offence.

"We know that women are disproportionately victims of such crimes, and that is why it is so important that we take action.

"I have written to Police Scotland to get a clearer picture."

Figures released under Freedom of Information laws show there were 799 reported spiking incidents between January 2020 and last October - with a surge after Covid ended and young people returned to pubs. Of that total 85 incidents led to a detection, only 10.6 percent of all cases.

Ecstasy, LSD, ketamine and other "party drugs" are some times used to spike drinks.