Met Police warns of rise in spiked vapes as students targeted before Freshers Week

The Metropolitan Police has warned of a sharp rise in reports of spiked vapes, with students and young people seen as particular targets as Freshers Week approaches.

Detectives say offenders are using a wider range of substances than before. As well as illegal drugs, they are adding everyday medicines such as antihistamines and travel sickness drugs to vapes. Cases have also involved spice and THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. The aim is often to make victims drowsy or vulnerable.

The force has begun using specialist equipment that can rapidly test suspected spiked vapes. Police say it can identify a wide range of substances that may not be picked up by commercial tests.

Detective Superintendent Dan Thompson, the Met's spiking lead, said the nature of spiking is changing. He said offenders were using everyday medications and substances added to vapes while increasingly targeting victims in private settings such as homes, parties and student accommodation. His message was direct: if you spike someone, we will do everything in our power to identify you and bring you to justice.

The warning comes with new figures that show the scale of the problem. In the past year, more than 2,700 spiking-related offences were reported to the Metropolitan Police. Only 131 led to a charge, a caution or a summons. That was an increase of 20% on the previous year. More than half of the victims were aged between 18 and 35.

Police say spiking is not confined to pubs and clubs. There is increasing prevalence at private parties, flats, house parties and student accommodation. The timing matters because many students are starting or returning to university, and Freshers Week events are due to take place at the end of September and beginning of October. Officers have been at some freshers events and have offered vape testing. They are trying to raise awareness of the risk.

Officers are urging anyone who believes they have been spiked to come forward as soon as possible. The drugs used are often metabolised and processed by the body quickly, meaning evidence can disappear and chances to bring offenders to justice can be lost.

Advice for students and others includes watching for signs such as feeling much more drunk than expected, blurred vision after little or no alcohol, or a sudden loss of control. Anyone who feels this way should get to a member of staff or a trusted friend quickly and say they have been spiked and need to be kept safe. Police and support services say people should not be afraid to seek help and report what is a hidden crime.

The Met's warning follows past cases that show how covert drugging can be. In the 1990s, Richard Scatchard secretly filmed himself drugging a woman's drink with sleeping medication before sexually assaulting her. He was convicted of drugging and assaulting multiple women and filming each of his crimes.