Met’s festive crackdown on spiking delivers major progress with a 125 per cent surge in charges and cutting-edge tech trials

Between December 2024 and November 2025, the Met received more than 2,700 allegations of spiking - around 230 every month - though the true scale is believed to be higher. Women and girls are disproportionately affected, with 63 per cent of victims being female.

Over the past 12 months, 126 spiking offences have resulted in positive outcomes, including charges, supported by a 9 per cent rise in reporting of a crime that has long been under-reported.

The Met says the increase in reporting is encouraging, but stresses that even more victims need to come forward. Early reporting is vital to securing charges and preventing reoffending, and officers are urging anyone who suspects they have been spiked to contact police immediately. The sooner evidence can be collected, the greater the chance of identifying offenders and stopping them from harming others.

To tackle this crime, the Met has combined awareness campaigns with cutting-edge technology. In partnership with Meta and the Safer Business Network, officers launched an immersive virtual reality experience in central London, inviting office workers to step into real-life scenarios where spiking could occur.

The initiative aimed to raise awareness ahead of Christmas parties, consider the risks, and encourage early reporting.

Alongside public engagement, officers are exploring the use of specialist vape-spiking detection equipment capable of rapidly testing vapes suspected to contain drugs such as THC or Spice.

This technology, already deployed in nightclubs, festivals and schools, is part of a wider toolkit that includes mobile drug testing equipment and near infra-red detectors supported by a mobile app, which can quickly identify powders and tablets suspected of containing controlled substances.

These innovations form part of the Met’s strategy to tackle violence against women and girls (VAWG), where the charge rate for offences has tripled in the last three years.

Venues are also playing a key role in prevention, working closely with local policing and licensing officers. Through specialist WAVE training delivered by the Met and Safer Business Network, staff are learning how to spot signs of spiking, safeguard victims and report incidents swiftly. Internally, the Met has introduced a new system which has enabled tagging of spiking reports to streamline the recording of spiking offences, enabling officers to identify and collate cases to provide more accurate data.

“Spiking is a frightening crime that can have devastating consequences. No one should feel the need to change their behaviour to protect themselves from becoming a victim of an illegal offence.

“While we are determined to prevent spiking and continue working closely with partners and venues, it’s encouraging to see more people coming forward. But we need even more victims to report incidents as early as possible – it’s the key to identifying offenders and stopping them from harming others.”

“Spiking remains a serious concern for communities, and rising reporting is an important sign that people feel more supported and aware of what to look out for. Our partnership with MPS, META and Moonhub allows us to use immersive VR not only to train businesses through our WAVE programme, but also to build deeper understanding around identifying offenders, recognising vulnerability, and knowing how to respond safely.

“STAND:UP VR gives learners a realistic experience of what spiking and related behaviours can look like, and crucially, it supports both staff and the public in understanding how and when to report. By increasing confidence and awareness at every level, we’re helping create safer spaces and strengthening the entire response to these incidents across the day and night-time economy.”

If you believe you have been a victim of spiking, please come forward and get the support you are entitled to from our specially trained officers.

Anyone who is a victim of spiking, or knows someone that has been, should report it to police straightaway to give the best chances of capturing evidential opportunities.

If a crime is in progress call 999, otherwise victims can report a recent or non-recent case of spiking here or call 111.

The Met is using a number of tactics including our innovative V100 programme to improve the response to VAWG offences. We have committed to increasing the number of officers and staff in the teams that investigate DA, rape, serious sexual offences and child abuse.

We continue to strive to improve the support for victims, new services like My Met Service and the enhanced Victim Focus Desk, ensuring victims receive regular updates; and rolling out new training to frontline officers covering victim care and trauma, embedding empathy and better communication in every case.