Hansard

Moving on to PE1995, I must first of all offer an apology. I regret to say that there are two petitions that have rather slipped under the radar.

The first is this important petition, which was lodged by Catherine Anne McKay, on improving support for victims of spiking. The petition, which we heard about at a previous meeting, calls on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to develop a multi-agency approach to the investigation of spiking incidents to ensure that victims are given access to appropriate testing and incidents are investigated robustly.

Rather unusually, the committee has not considered this petition since 6 December 2023, when we agreed to write to the Scottish Government and Police Scotland. Police Scotland has since confirmed that it monitors all occurrences of spiking and the progress of relevant investigations, including forensic ones. Current data allows Police Scotland to identify whether forensic samples have been obtained, refused or not obtained for other reasons, and it also allows for comparative analysis of reported incidents, recorded crimes and the number of forensic samples submitted.

The response also points to Police Scotland’s investigative strategy, which provides guidance and direction to all staff who respond to or investigate spiking. Additionally, senior investigating officers are appointed within each territorial police division to act as divisional single points of contact for all spiking-related matters.

From the Scottish Government’s very recent update, we understand that the Minister for Victims and Community Safety has continued to chair regular multi-agency round tables on spiking, most recently just last month, not just with partners in policing, health, victims organisations and prosecution, but with representatives of colleges and universities, community safety organisations and the night-time economy sector. The Government highlights that there is now a consistent national approach that has been designed to ensure that individuals who present to accident and emergency departments receive clear advice regarding the roles of health professionals and the police when they report incidents of spiking.

Additionally, since October, the NHS digital system has been allowing for the recording of those who present to A and E as potential victims of spiking, with the aim of improving understanding of the extent to which such incidents also lead to formal police reporting. The Scottish Government highlights that although proposals relevant to spiking are included in the United Kingdom Government’s Crime and Policing Bill, existing legislation in Scotland already enables the police and prosecutors to tackle perpetrators of the crime effectively.

I think that an awful lot of work has taken place since 2023 to directly address the issues raised in the petition, but do colleagues have any suggestions for action?