North Wales Police has disclosed that only eight criminal charges have emerged from 656 spiking-related incidents reported since 2021.
Since the start of 2025, none of the 188 recorded cases involving drink and needle spiking have resulted in charges.
Approximately half of all reported cases were finalised without identifying a suspect, while 88 further cases involved a named suspect and victim support for prosecution, yet these too were discontinued due to evidential challenges.
Campaigners contend that a single charge arising from 82 reported incidents demonstrates that current enforcement approaches are failing.
A summit addressing safety within Wales’s night-time economy is scheduled to take place on October 12 at the Royal Welsh Showground in Llanelwedd, close to Builth Wells.
The gathering, running from 9.30am to 3.30pm, will be hosted by the Stamp Out Spiking campaign group alongside Powys County Council.
The issue extends across the entirety of Wales, with Gwent’s Police and Crime Commissioner having cautioned that spiking incidents remain significantly under-reported.
Five years prior, four women required hospital treatment after reporting they had been spiked through injection at two separate establishments on Wind Street in Swansea.
The event will be spearheaded by Stamp Out Spiking originator Dawn Dines, alongside Martyn’s Law advocate Figen Murray and Ask for Angela creator Hayley Crawford.
Legislation enacted earlier this year establishes a dedicated criminal offence pertaining to spiking, following sustained advocacy efforts.
Dines, who pursued a 20-year campaign resulting in this legislative change, will present recommendations for narrowing the disparity between incident reporting and actual legal outcomes.
Beyond spiking specifically, the agenda encompasses broader concerns regarding night-time safety, including venue emergency protocols and swift assistance for individuals experiencing vulnerability.
Murray, who lost her son Martyn Hett in the 2017 Manchester Arena attack, drove the Martyn’s Law initiative which mandates that venues accommodating 200 or more patrons develop attack preparedness measures.
She will address readiness, inter-agency cooperation, and the mechanisms through which individual loss can catalyse nationwide legislative reform.
Crawford established the Ask for Angela scheme enabling anyone feeling threatened to discreetly signal staff for aid.
A decade after its inception, she will detail the programme’s impact and the continued necessity for such safeguards within hospitality settings.
Dines will subsequently moderate a multi-agency discussion exploring collaborative approaches to strengthening Wales’s night-time economy, followed by an open question-and-answer segment with subject specialists.
Throughout the day, participants will have opportunities for networking and partnership development, with the aim of informing a coordinated strategy for night-time safety applicable across Wales.
Dines articulated that the night-time economy encompasses far more than drinking establishments, representing diverse individuals including healthcare workers completing late shifts, transport operators, students, and families at communal gatherings, all deserving of security.
She expressed that Wales possesses a genuine prospect to establish a benchmark and conveyed appreciation for co-hosting alongside Powys County Council at the Royal Welsh Showground, describing the event as an opportunity to define what safety and justice after dark should resemble for the nation.
Statistical data from North Wales Police was obtained through a Freedom of Information request dated October 2, 2026, encompassing the period from January 2021 through September 2026.