It is never your fault if you have been spiked. Blame lies solely with the perpetrator.
- Get help from a trusted friend or a member of staff at the venue (if applicable).
- Stay with them and keep talking to them, if possible
Police reporting
- You have the option to report to the Police. Call 999 if at risk or 101 if in a place of safety.
- Police can test for drugs in blood, urine, drinks and vomit. Drugs can leave the body in as little as 12 hours after consumption so it’s important to report and get tested quickly.
Further information about reporting can be found here, including an online reporting form.
Medical help
- Seek medical advice. If seriously unwell, someone you trust should take you to your nearest A&E department. Otherwise call 111 or consult your GP.
- If you suspect spiking by injection, seek testing for infections such as hepatitis and HIV. A&E do not offer toxicology tests and will only perform tests for drugs when it is necessary to determine medical treatment.
Sexual Violence
- If you have been sexually assaulted/are unsure what happened while you were spiked, you can seek support, advice and forensic evidence testing (if spiking and sexual violence happened/may have happened within the last 8 days) from The Bridge/local Sexual Assault Referral Centre outside of Avon and Somerset area
Support at the University
For BSU students:
- Student Wellbeing Service - a wellbeing adviser can talk through your options and help you to access support. You can connect to them via the Request contact from an adviser form on this website.
- If you experienced sexual violence while spiked or are unsure what happened while spiked, a Sexual Violence Liaison Officer will respond to your form.
- We know that when people experience spiking of any kind, it can have an impact on being able to engage or focus on your studies.
- Please consider submitting exceptional circumstances if your studies have been or are being affected.
For BSU staff:
- Staff can speak with their line-manager, contact HR (directly or via the Request contact from an advisor form) and access the University’s employee assistance service - further information and access here.
Other sources of support
- Victim Support help anyone who has been the victim of a crime. They can support you coping with the after-effects of crime and help with reporting to the police.
Reporting what happened
- Deciding whether to report what has happened to you is a very personal decision
- If you are considering reporting, you can submit a form on this website and be connected to an advisor for further advice and support options.
- Reporting to the police. You can report a crime by calling the non-emergency number, 101 (or 999 for emergencies), or online.
- You can report an incident anonymously using the Anonymous reporting form. We will not normally be able to take any direct action following an anonymous report but if you choose to use the two way messaging service, we can communicate directly with you via the Report and Support platform only. You will be asked if you want to use the two way messaging service when you submit an anonymous report form.
- There is more information about how we use anonymous reports here.
- Note that we cannot guarantee confidentiality for anyone named in the report, if there are risk concerns.
- If the perpetrator is a BSU student or staff member, you have the option to formally report this to the University as a disciplinary matter.
- Note that submitting a Report and Support form will not constitute a direct formal report itself but will connect you to further information about reporting options.
- Note that we cannot guarantee confidentiality for anyone named in a report, if there are risk concerns.
- BSUSU Advice Centre - a free, impartial service where an advisor can talk through University procedures, what options are available and support you through processes (e.g. if you decide to formally report to the University).