More than 100 students marched through the streets of Bangor on Wednesday night to raise awareness and take a stance against the national rise in drink spiking.
The campaign, organised by Undeb Bangor, the university Students ‘ Union, aims to increase security measures and raise awareness about the dangers of getting spiked.
The protest was part of a national boycott, with people across the UK are being encouraged to avoid clubs & bars in response to the recent rise in cases of spiking using various methods across the UK.
A statement from Undeb Bangor said: “Our priority at Undeb Bangor is the safety of students and we’ve been listening and addressing your concerns, especially regarding spiking and safety in nightclubs. All students should be able to go on a night out without having to worry about being spiked or harassed. We need to challenge these behaviours and reclaim the night.
Katie Tew, VP of Societies and Volunteering at Undeb Bangor, said: “Everyone should be able to go on a night out without being worried about being spiked or harassed – it should not be our responsibility to avoid being spiked.
“We need to challenge this behaviour, ensuring that everyone is aware of the dangers of spiking.
“This is the start of a larger campaign, and we will be working closely with students, the local night clubs and the police to put additional measures in place to ensure that students feel safe on a night out.
“Spiking is illegal, very dangerous and completely unacceptable.”
Speaking at the Event, Owen J Hurcum, Bangor Mayor said: “It is a failing of society that Reclaim the Night marches are needed.
“They shouldn’t be – Spiking shouldn’t happen, male violence against women shouldn’t happen.
“But it does. And it must stop – We will not tolerate these attacks in our city.
“I would like to thank the organisers of this march for their hard work and state my unequivocal support in this campaign”
North Wales Police have recently been working with local nightclubs Academi and Cube in Bangor to ensure anyone on a night out is as safe as possible.
Officers have also been liaising with local authority licensing to review procedures and safety measures.
A spokesperson from North Wales Police said: “When entering nightclubs, please expect to be subject to security checks upon entry, which may include the use of a ‘wand’ to detect, knives, needles and other dangerous instruments.
“Licensed premises will display ‘Ask Angela’ posters around the venues and all staff are fully trained should anyone ‘ask for Angela’ to intimate that they require help, and staff will assist them.”
The safety initiative ‘Ask for Angela’ allows people who feel unsafe, vulnerable or threatened to discreetly seek help by approaching venue staff and asking them for ‘Angela’. This code-phrase will indicate to staff that they require help with their situation and a trained member of staff will then look to support and assist them.
On the issue of drink-spiking police said: “Wherever possible, please drink from a bottle using a Stop Top as a preventative measure against spiking.
“We are pleased to say that reports to police of ‘spiking’ are rare in our local night-time community, but our local policing team take all reports seriously and will thoroughly investigate any instances of this nature.”
StopTopps are versatile drink-protectors that have been designed to deter drink spikers. They are suitable for any drinking vessel commonly found in pubs and clubs, including cans, bottles and glasses.
Photos: Roo Pitt
