Worthing and Adur councils could adopt a zero-tolerance policy over drink-spiking and sexual harassment at licensed premises.
New licensing policy, which has to be reviewed every five years, could make premises accountable for safeguarding patrons against drink-spiking, stating they should take measures – like handing out drink covers – and seek advice to prevent spiking in their venues
This means a premises licence could be called in for review should venues not comply with new conditions, with licenses potentially removed, changed or suspended.
Premises staff, owners and the designated premises supervisor (DPS), would also need to report all incidents of drink spiking, sexual harassment/violence and grooming to police or be pulled in for review.
Councillor Hillary Schan (Lab, Tarring) requested the additions to the new licensing policy after seeing no mention of spiking in previous policies, taking inspiration from other councils like Milton Keynes, which worked with venues to make drink-covers broadly available.
She said the council had not really been highlighting the issue, adding:
“It is a really underreported crime – people find it very difficult to tell when they have been spiked."
She added a real ‘stigma’ around the issue could be contributing to underreporting of spiking, and safe spaces in pubs and clubs, associated with the Safe Space Sussex program, were a ‘really good’ safeguarding initiative to combat this.
The new policy includes Welfare and Vulnerability Engagement (WAVE) training to help staff identify when to intervene in a situation on behalf of a vulnerable person, and Ask for Angela, which trains staff on how to assist vulnerable persons when approached by them. This scheme, as well as making a safe space via Safe Space Sussex, can be imposed on or voluntarily adopted by a premises, if it does not already have something similar in place.
The councillors said in the future, the council may include policy around taxi licensing and how to train taxi drivers on identifying and helping vulnerable persons.
The reviewed licensing policies for Worthing and Adur will be up for approval at the next full council meetings, on October 17 and 19 respectively.
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