Reporting a spiking incident

If you intend to report a spiking incident then ideally Durham Police would want to obtain samples within 12 hrs. The absolute maximum is 24hrs, but this will not rule out hair sampling as an alternative and this lengthens this timescale by up to three months. Maybe even longer. For hair sampling you might be asked to come back two weeks later in order to give your hair chance to grow a bit.

If you feel unwell whilst in a pub or club then ask the management to put the drink to one side for a while as you intend reporting the incident to the police. Durham Police may want this as evidence. If you decide to go out for fresh air than ensure you stay within sight of the doorstaff or take a friend.

Inform Durham Police as soon as possible and expect to be asked a lot of questions. Some might appear to be intrusive but you know yourself better than they do. You might be asked to provide forensic samples dependant upon the time lapse and you might also be asked to provide this yourself until a medical examination can be arranged if this is intended. Try and accept the judgment of the officer dealing with your incident. These offences are very complicated but they should at least provide or arrange to provide support information and details on where to obtain your own forensic evidence. The hair kits are designed for you to do this privately and the kit should be obtainable in confidence if necessary from a police station having a custody suite, as these are the stations where the doctor’s rooms are available.

Obtain the name of the officer and an incident number before you all leave one another so that you have a point of reference to go back to.