Bar Wars return: Plans for Pendle Bar to only open ... - Scan - Lusu

4NEWSWeek 2 - Summer Termscan.lusu.co.uk/newsInvestigation: Drink spiking at LancasterCulture of silence as studentsfail to report spiking to Police• Some students feel there is “no point” in reporting incidents• Results found through SCAN survey of over 500 studentsCatherine ChorleyNews EditorAn investigation into LancasterUniversity students’ experiences ofdrink-spiking during their time herehas uncovered a culture of silence.Following reports of drink-spikingincidents posted on a LancasterUniversity student-run social mediapage, more than 500 students volunteeredinformation in a SCANinvestigation concerning students’experiences of drink-spiking andtheir awareness of how to prevent it.One quarter of all respondents saidthat they had experienced drinkspikingwhilst on a night out, eitheras victims or as members of a groupin which someone fell victim to theoffence. The worst-affected demographic,according to this investigation,appears to be female first-yearundergraduates.It is important to stress that, of the133 incidents of spiking representedin the data collected by SCAN, allbut nine occurred off-campus. Furthermore,it would be inaccurate toreport that the results obtained arewholly representative of the situationat Lancaster University. As Students’Union Vice President (Equality,Welfare and Diversity) RosaliaO’Reilly explained, “The people answeringwill be the people who havebeen spiked or know someone whohas.” As such, the percentage of respondentswith experience of drinkspikingmay not translate to anequivalent percentage of the overalluniversity population.However, the data do show a worryingtendency for those affectedby spiking incidents not to reporttheir experiences to the authorities.Of the 133 incidents recorded in thesurvey, only six had been reportedto the police. Only one respondentanswered that their report had been“satisfactorily resolved” by the police.This report rate was identified byO’Reilly as a principle concern thatshe is keen to tackle. Whilst optimisticthat “we don’t have a massiveproblem [with spiking] in the Sugarhouse,”O’Reilly nevertheless is realisticabout the impact of unreportedincidents on the authorities’ perceptionsof the problem. She candidlysummarised the issue as follows:“I have heard about spiking incidentsin the past in Lancaster, but Idon’t know that it’s a massive issue[…] It’s really hard to tell, so it’s agood thing that SCAN is doing thesurvey.”“We don’t have amassive problem[with spiking] in theSugarhouse”A recurrent concern amongst participantsin the survey was whetherthey would be believed if they didreport a suspected incident. Manybelieved there to be “no point” in reportinga suspected crime, either becausethey felt that they themselveswould be blamed “for not watching[the] drink properly” or because theywere unsure of the specifics of theirexperience and deemed the offence“impossible to prove.”It would seem that many do nothave confidence in the ability of thecriminal justice system to apprehendthe perpetrators and secure theirconvictions, given the uncertaintiesassociated with alcohol and drinkspiking.Often, students may only realisethat they have been spiked longafter the incident has occurred – insome cases this may be the followingmorning when the after-effectsof a night out manifest as wildly disproportionateto the amount of alcoholknown to have been consumed.However, the issue is complicatedby the difficulty an individual mayhave in recognising the effects ofdrink-spiking as distinct from thoseof inebriation through alcohol consumedof the individuals’ own volition,particularly when this consumptionhas been excessive. Oneresponse exemplified this, stating,“[I was] unsure if it was actually aspiking or if the person consumedtoo much alcohol at the time.” Thisis often accompanied by the beliefthat, even if the incident is reportedto the police, no progress will bemade as the victim will be dismissedas a “drunken student” or there willnot be enough evidence to proceed.One student recalled a particularlyconcerning incident: “I went to A&Eand didn’t feel the issue was takenseriously. They didn’t run any testsso there was no definite evidence forit to be reported to the police.”The most common drug used indrink-spiking is alcohol itself, whichmeans that establishing whether anoffence has been committed is mademore difficult, as toxicology screeningwill not differentiate betweenwhat was drunk intentionally andwhat was added without the drinker’sknowledge or consent. Datagathered by SCAN shows the mostcommon problem identified by thoseexperiencing drink-spiking – whichin turn impacts upon the inclinationto report a suspected offence – isthat the uncertainty about where,when and by whom the victim wasspiked. Many victims stated thatthey did not realise until, in theirview, it was too late to report. Thisfurther highlights the need for vigilanceon the part of the student andthose with whom they are partying.84%Of students who said theyhad experienced drinkspiking in Lancaster chosenot to report the incidentIn recent years, the growingpractice of ‘pre-drinking’ beforecommencing a night out in commercialvenues may have exacerbatedstudents’ risk of being spiked,since many arrive in the city centrealready drunk. Even if they do notthink themselves in any way compromised,some students may havealready consumed enough to putthem at risk of spiking through a decreaseddegree of vigilance aroundtheir drinks, or a greater propensityto take risks they would nottake when sober. Police and healthauthorities recommend that thoseon a night out avoid becomingso drunk that they are unaware oftheir surroundings, since this leavesthem especially vulnerable to beingspiked. This vulnerability is onlycompounded by such an individual’sinability to recognise the changes intheir physical and cognitive statesthat would occur with drink-spiking.‘It is important tostress that, of the133 incidents ofspiking representedin the data collectedby SCAN, all butnine occurred offcampus’Fortunately, many students whotook part in SCAN’s research saidthat they were aware of campaignssuch as Easy Tiger, and had beengiven safety aids such as Spikey bottle-stoppersin the past. Yet O’Reillyacknowledged that, despite the bestefforts of awareness campaigns,most people who habitually drink toexcess are likely to continue to doso irrespective of their knowledge ofpotential risks.“If people want to go out and getdrunk, they are going to go out andget drunk. It’s just sad that peoplethink that that’s a good time,” shesaid.Instead, she argued, the focus mustbe on limiting the risks to which youare exposed, along with the fact thatadding alcohol to a friend’s drink –even without any malicious intent –is still a crime.Previous LUSU campaigns thathave proved to be the most successfulare those which focus on helpingstudents to retain some degree ofhow much they are drinking withouttelling them to stop altogether orgiving them lists of safety tips ofwhich they are already aware. Freshers’Week saw EWD campaignershand out Easy Tiger glasses markedwith unit measures, which O’Reillydescribed as a positive way to showpeople how they can keep an eye onhow much they are drinking withouttelling them, “Don’t drink!”