Police increase patrols to protect students from drink spiking head of Freshers' Week

Greater Manchester Police have stepped up patrols in towns and city centres to ensure new and existing students understand the dangers of spiking.

The force is marking national Spiking Intensification Week from September 15 to 19 and is focusing on ensuring everyone feels safe on their nights out as Freshers' Week begins.

Spiking, despite the assumption by some of it not being a crime, is a criminal act which can result in custodial sentence, and officers said they are committed to preventing this issue as much as possible. 

Multiple drugs can be used to spike drinks, including the commonly known ‘date rape’ drug, but also other illegal drugs such as cocaine, ecstasy, or ketamine.  

These substances can cause a drink to smell and taste differently. It is an offence to add additional alcohol to someone’s drink without their consent too. 

Police will be patrolling towns and city centres carrying out licensing visits, educating the public on spiking and what to do in the event a spiking incident happens.  

Officers are also holding engagement events as part of Fresher’s Week, welcoming people to the region and handing out spiking test and prevention kits, including bottle tops and glass sticks to share with friends or family. 

As part of their wider work to keep nightlife safe, the force relaunched Operation Safer Streets, which is focused on tackling violence against women and girls across all Manchester City Centre nighttime economy hotspots. The operation saw an uplift in officers patrolling city centre hotspots on busy weekends focusing on predatory behaviour, sexual offences and harassment, ensuring vulnerable people are safeguarded, following success at driving crime down in the Peter Street/Deansgate corridor. 

From March – August 2025, Op Safer Streets saw over 230 interventions with vulnerable people, which involved getting people to a place of safety, ensuring they had safe transport home, and were able to find their groups of friends. 

Detective Superintendent and Lead for Violence Against Women and Girls, Jen Tattersall said: “We are committed to preventing spiking crimes and ensuring public safety across Greater Manchester, and I would like to assure the public that it is a predominantly safe place to enjoy a night out. 

“Through increased patrols and having partners such as licensed premises on board, we are actively working to deter offenders and protect potential and vulnerable victims. 

“With dedicated awareness campaigns such as this week, we hope to reach a wider range of the public to educate them and ensure they know the protocols in place to report suspicious activity. 

“Spiking is a serious criminal offence, and every report is taken seriously. I would encourage all victims to come forward as soon as possible, to give us the best chance of bringing offenders to justice.” 

More information about spiking myths, what to do in an incident and how it may impact you if you’ve been spiked, can be found here: Spiking | Greater Manchester Police 

Spiking incidents can be reported by dialling 101 or via the LiveChat function on the website www.gmp.police.uk. Always call 999 if the incident is ongoing, or it’s an emergency.