Throughout the Christmas period, Humberside Police will be doing high visibility patrol across towns and cities, but they also have a team of plain-clothed officers patrolling, ready to challenge any suspicious behaviour.
The teams will also be working in partnership with door staff and licensees whilst building on existing relationships to ensure they can continue to spot the signs of potential concern before it turns into anything more alarming.
Detective Chief Inspector Jim Clough from the Protecting Vulnerable People unit said:
“Protecting vulnerable people continues to remain a high priority for us as a force, and that does not change during the festive season.
“We want our force area to be a safe place where members of the public can go out and enjoy the Christmas break and it’s really important that people know our officers are out and about patrolling hotspot areas, particular pubs, clubs and bars.
“We all know getting into the Christmas spirit can sometimes see people get carried away with a drink or two and that’s why we will be proactively looking out for anyone behaving suspiciously towards other individuals.
“We take all reports of spiking incredibly seriously and will carry out full and thorough investigations and working with licensed premises to prevent incidents.
“Spiking is one offence that can be linked to sexual offences, and offenders may commit spiking in conjunction with or in the lead up to sexual offences.
“If you are worried about the behaviour of someone else, most bars and pubs in the UK also operate the ‘Ask Angela’ scheme, whereby you can approach a member of staff and ask for ‘Angela’. They will then take you to a place of safety and will help you get out of the situation.
“We take all reports of this nature extremely seriously and we would encourage anyone who believes they have been a victim or witness to spiking or sexual offences in any form, to contact us as soon as possible. This can be done on 999 if in the moment or 101 after the fact. Please also don’t be afraid to seek the help of medical professionals or ‘Street Angels’.”
