Students have persuaded the mayor of Greater Manchester to launch a partnership to tackle drink spiking in the city following a reported increase in incidents around the UK.
Andy Burnham and Sacha Lord have committed to launch an anti-spiking partnership which would see tests distributed to major venues around the region.
This follows a boycott of clubs led by Manchester Night In student campaigners and a protest against drink spiking which took place on Wednesday 27 October.
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A letter was also sent to Mr Burnham from the Manchester Night In campaigners, telling the Mayor that more should be done to tackle spiking incidents in the city region.
The week after, the mayor and Mr Lord met with members of the campaign on November 3 at the Manchester Students’ Union to discuss options.
Mr Burnham, said: “Sacha and I met with members of the Manchester Night In campaign and agreed to look at launching an Anti-Spiking Partnership with key venues in the city-region.”
In the meeting, the campaigners, Mr Burnham and Mr Lord discussed extending schemes such as Safe Havens, Ask Angela and volunteer schemes such as the Village Angels.
Night time economy adviser for Greater Manchester, Mr Lord, said: “We have heard shocking stories this week from women who have been affected by drink spiking.
“Whether it is a club, bar or house party, drink spiking should not be happening in our city-region.
“We are working on the details of our Anti-Spiking Partnership and I will be liaising with major venues in the city-region.
“Work is also underway to build on existing schemes such as Safe Havens and Village Angels to protect the safety of people who have been separated from their friends.”
These schemes assist people on nights out who might have been separated from their friends, lost their phones or bags, been in an unsafe situation, or have been turned away from venues.
The mayor added: “Sacha is working up the details of this and we will convene a further meeting in two weeks’ time, I am hoping we can move quickly.
“I want to thank the members of the Manchester Night In campaign for meeting with us. I saw the numbers of people participating in the protest and we are committed to taking tangible action.”
The Girls Night In campaigners have shared their own update following the meeting with Andy Burnham and Sacha Lord.
A post on the groups Instagram says: "The support that Andy and Sacha have shown for the campaign is promising, and we will be having another meeting next week to discuss progress so far.
"We are hopeful that some tangible changes will come as a result of these meetings, but still remain to be convinced until they are in place."
The meeting also discussed what improvements can be made to reporting incidents and a conversation was had about a campaign to tackle the behaviour of boys and men.
The Greater Manchester Combined Authority recently launched the Greater Manchester gender based violence strategy, which explains the authority’s approach in talking harassment, abuse and violence in both public and commercial settings.
Advice to victims of drink-spiking:
If you or your friends start to feel strange or unwell then you should get help and seek medical advice straight away. Incidents should be reported to the police.
You can also call the Victims Support Helpline on 0300 303 0162.
