The scale of drink spiking offences in Peterborough has been revealed in shocking new figures. 

An exclusive investigation by this newspaper found just one report of drink spiking resulted in a charge in the last five years. 

According to a Freedom of Information request, Cambridgeshire Constabulary received more than 350 drink spiking reports between 2018 and 2024. 

Figures show that of the 359 reports received by the force, 261 were from female victims, 73 from male victims while 25 cases did not specify a gender. 

Peterborough saw 102 reports of drink spiking across the six-year period, with Cambridge recording the highest number of alleged offences. 

Across England and Wales, police received 6,732 reports of spiking in the year ending April 2023. 

CEO of The Talk About Trust Helena Conibear said the lack of drink spiking prosecutions has to be addressed.CEO of The Talk About Trust Helena Conibear said the lack of drink spiking prosecutions has to be addressed. (Image: The Talk About Trust) The Met police said reports of drink spiking increased 13 per cent in July to December 2023 compared with the same period in 2022.

CEO of The Talk About Trust Helena Conibear said tackling drink spiking in the region required a "joined up approach" to better support victims.

She said: "The police have made great strides since 2021 in training officers to be proactive in supporting victims, ensuring victims are tested, doing preventative work in towns and cities and among students and making it much easier to report spiking.

"The shocking lack of prosecutions though has to be addressed and improved drug testing should help with this.

"If victims come forward quicker and pubs and clubs help secure footage, ensure their staff are vigilant and observant and keep any drink that may have been spiked there should be zero tolerance among us all."

It comes after the Labour government announced it would introduce a new law making spiking a specific criminal offence in the King's Speech in a bid to protect victims.  

In December, the Home Office said it would amend the Criminal Justice Bill and update the Offences Against The Person Act 1861 to make clear that spiking is illegal after mounting pressure. 

Detective Inspector Lindsay Harbour said the force took all reports of drink spiking "very seriously" and will bring prosecutions when it has evidence.

Detective Inspector Harbour said there can often challenges in securing evidence in cases of drink spiking.Detective Inspector Harbour said there can often challenges in securing evidence in cases of drink spiking. (Image: Cambridgeshire Police) She said: “Our priority is to keep women and girls safe across Cambridgeshire and we will be doing a lot of work around the night-time economy in the run-up to Christmas, with patrols dedicated to spotting and acting against predatory behaviour in cities and towns.

“We also want to prevent spiking and recently we launched a campaign to raise awareness – particularly among students - of how to protect yourself and what to do if you believe you’ve been spiked.

“The prosecution statistics are concerning, however, it’s important to note the challenges in securing evidence for a crime where victims often don’t know they’ve been targeted until sometime later."

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