A Kent based activist is petitioning to make anti-spiking drink covers mandatory
The Rochester based 'party girl activist' says government enforced anti-spiking stickers could create important conversations
Elizabeth Sanni, known as 'With Love, Bets', is leading a campaign to urge the UK government to require licensed venues across England and Wales to supply free anti-spiking drink covers upon request.
Her petition, which can be found on the parliament website, requests that the government:
'Amend the Licensing Act 2003 to make anti-spiking drink covers a mandatory licence condition for all venues serving open drinks in England and Wales. Covers should be available free of charge, on request, to any patron.'
Speaking to Hits and Greatest Hits Radio Kent, about why she decided to raise the issue. Bets told us:
"Going out and watching my friends experience it, I've seen that that is what spiking does to a person. It takes away your autonomy.
"I've also got two preteen girls who are getting older, and they'll be out in the world soon at really exactly the age where this happens the most. Because the average victims are aged 18 to 25. So I want to do as much as I can to protect them in advance."
But she added that while drink spiking was one of the most common, the issue often presents itself in different forms:
"A drink cover is something that fits over any glass, bottle, cup in seconds. So the ones I partner with, they're just stickers and you just stick them over your drink.
"You just put it over your drink and it makes it harder to drop something into your drink while you're distracted.
"Drink tampering is one form of spiking and it's the form of spiking that this petition covers, but there are multiple forms.
"There's needle spiking, there's food spiking, I've heard of stamp spiking, there's vape spiking. So lots of ways, and it is a much bigger problem than this petition focuses on, but one step at a time."
But despite that, she thinks having drink covers available will still create more conversations:
"I think what it would do, it would bring spiking as a problem to the forefront of people's minds.
"As we go around our lives today, we don't really hear much about spiking. And I think the thing is, a problem you've never heard of or you rarely hear of seems like a small problem or a problem that wouldn't really affect you
"Spiking is a massive issue that shows up every single day. And I think we're really doing it a disservice as a government to not put more resources around laws, education and just communication about spiking to people. "
Who does Spiking Impact?
While the main victims of spiking may be those ages 18-25, Bets added that there were many other demographics likely to be impacted:
"Four in 10 people who are spiked are men. I think that is a fact that a lot of people are not aware of. "And yes, while women are still disproportionately affected at 58%, this is not only happening to women. LGBTQ plus people are spiked more, 18% of LGBTQ plus community people have been spiked versus 11% of cisgendered people.
"You can also be be spiked more than once. A lot of people think if you're spiked once, that's it.
"It's a crime that affects anyone regardless of age, gender, experience, financial status, class, colour. It is across the board."
As part of her campaign, Bets also hosts the "Cups and Covers" tour, including drink safety demonstrations and additional information on what to do if you or a friend is spiked.
When it comes to spiking advice, she told us the most important thing to know is that blame should always be with the spiker and not the victim, and that the best thing to do in order to support a loved one going through spiking is make sure they know that you are a safe and non-judgemental space to discuss how they feel.
The campaign has also been supported by Spike Away UK, and cover providers BevGARDien.