A trend called “needle spiking” is becoming more prevalent across Europe, and travelers are warned to be aware of its dangers which involves either a drug slipped into a drink or injected directly via a hypodermic needle.
Needle spiking: What is it?
The simple definition of “needle spiking” is when someone either slips a drug into another person’s drink or injects someone with a drug directly by using a hypodermic needle.
Some, as in the case of putting drugs in someone’s drink, are similar to “roofie” attacks that have occurred in the United States, where the drug Rohypnol (flunitrazepam) or other drugs such as GHB, Rohypnol, or Ketamine have been used to render someone unable to function or unconscious to facilitate a sexual attack.
But more alarming are the incidents of someone spiking someone with a hypodermic needle in the middle of a crowd, such as in clubs and dance floors, Yahoo reported.
Across Europe – in Britain, France, Germany, and Spain – all have seen strings of cases of attacks on young people in nightclubs who find puncture marks on their bodies.
What is the motive for needle spiking?
Although sexual assault is a prevalent motivation for needle spiking, robbery is another frequent reason for targeting, as well as instilling fear and intimidation, according to Marco Antonio Jiménez, a criminologist and police officer with the Mossos d’Esquadra in Spain, where dozens of needle-spiking cases have been reported so far this year, thelocal.es reported.
According to UK police data, the needle incidents typically involve female students in their 20s and occur in bars, clubs, or festivals.
However, it’s not only women being targeted. One young man died from a needle-spiking incident in 2017.
In a 2021 YouGov survey, 11% of women and 6% of men in the UK said they had been spiked.
Women most-often targeted, but men are targeted too
A woman described an incident in which she felt a jab in her hip, and within five minutes, she became woozy, dizzy, and couldn’t see straight. She immediately told a friend that she wasn’t feeling well. The woman suddenly collapsed to the floor, and the friend scooped her up and carried her to an accident.
Tourists targeted
Tourists are often targeted because they are carrying cash, passports, and other valuables, according to Colin Mackie, co-founder of Spike Aware UK, an organization raising awareness of the issue since 2017 and who lost a son to needle spiking. As travel and parties increase during the holiday season, the risk of being targeted increases.
Mackie warns tourists to be aware of the symptoms of spiking, which include dizziness, confusion, loss of consciousness, or other unusual behavior.
Safety tips
-Make sure you can see your drinks being poured and transported to you.
-Never put your drink down.
-Have someone with you and watch out for each other.
-Have international emergency numbers programmed into your phone, as well as lookup numbers to local hospitals just in case.
-Report to staff of the venue immediately if you or a friend may have been spiked, as well as get to the hospital right away for testing, and report the incident to local authorities.
