Following our full support of the Warwick’s Night In protest last week, we have been proactively building on the existing safety measures we have in place in our venues to prevent drink-spiking, and supporting all students who have reported issues to us.

After consulting with Protect Warwick Women and It Happens Here Warwick, as well as reviewing our safety measures, we have created an action plan to address drink-spiking. The plan highlights our current standard operating procedures, and introduces additional actions and next steps to keep Warwick students safe.

Our current procedures:

• Comprehensive training for all key staff, which includes:
  • Good Night Out
  • Mental Health First Aid
  • ASIST Suicide prevention
  • The Loop Drugs Awareness
  • First Aid at Work
  • SIA accreditation
• CCTV system in place that’s reviewed regularly
• Full team of SIA door staff, student staff, stewards and First Aid trained student staff
• Clear signposting to the right services and support
• Experienced managers and staff who are always vigilant and proactive to incidents or concerns
• Regular liaison and links with Report & Support Team, University and Local Authorities, including Police, to ensure the right response and support

Additional measures now in place:

• Increased door staff in all venues, specifically briefed to be alert to spiking and/or sexual misconduct
• Clear briefing to all club/society social secretaries to ensure that drinks are not left unguarded
• Relaxed the ‘no drinks’ policy in the smoking area
• WSU statement sent to all students to underline zero tolerance approach to spiking
• One-off cancellation of POP! to underpin our support for a safe environment for all
• Increased contact with Report & Support and others to thoroughly investigate any incidents

Next steps:

• Ensure event attendees know who the designated welfare staff are
• Display the level of training staff have received
• Explore the introduction of anti-spiking devices
• Write a clear procedure for spiking and sexual misconduct reporting, accessible to all
• Have a clear zero-tolerance statement for all to view in our venues
• Add links to support procedures and services on event ticket emails
• Install signs at entry points encouraging members to report issues to staff
• Review whether current staff training is sufficient
• Develop a student-led volunteer team for events in collaboration with It Happens Here and Protect Warwick Women
• Make sure that all staff and customers are aware that any individual, however they define, is at risk and should be protected

Ensuring Warwick students are as safe as possible in our venues is a top priority for the Students’ Union, and we are treating the issue of drink-spiking with the utmost seriousness. We will continue to review and update our action plan to ensure the safety of students in our venues.

Please see the Report & Support Drink Spiking page for resources and information on reporting drink spiking.