Britain’s spiking crisis: Third of victims reporting offences to police are MEN – as total cases recorded by officers quadruples since the pandemic
The proportion of spiking victims reporting to police in Britain who are men has risen sharply, reaching a third of cases last year, up from around 23 per cent in 2021. Overall reported spiking cases have more than quadrupled since the pandemic, from roughly 2,000 in 2020 to about 9,000 in 2025, though experts believe only just over a fifth of victims actually report incidents to police, meaning the true scale is likely far higher.
Spiking involves administering alcohol or drugs without consent, via drinks, needles or vapes, and police say most cases do not involve sexual assault or theft as commonly assumed, though they can cause severe distress. Women remain the majority of reported victims, accounting for more than 5,000 of last year's cases, with the average victim aged 27 and one in five identified suspects being female. Campaigners from Spike Aware UK, formed after 18-year-old Greg Mackie died from a suspected prank spiking in 2017, say more young men are now seeking advice, while recent cases include Adina Mihai, jailed for 17 years after spiking and robbing four men, two of whom died.
- Male spiking victims reporting to police have risen to a third of cases
- Total reported spiking cases have quadrupled since 2020, to about 9,000
- Only around a fifth of victims are thought to report attacks to police
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Britain's spiking crisis: Third of victims reporting offences to police are MEN – as total cases recorded by officers quadruples since the pandemic
Spiking means giving someone alcohol or drugs without their knowledge or consent, often by tampering with a drink but also through needles or vapes. Police-recorded cases in Britain have risen sharply since the pandemic, and while it is commonly assumed to be linked to sexual assault or theft, officers say most reported incidents involve neither, though victims can still be left severely distressed.
Historically, discussion of spiking has focused mainly on women, who still make up the majority of reported victims. In recent years, though, a growing number of men have also come forward, prompting questions about how widespread the problem really is and whether existing figures reflect the true scale, given that most victims are thought not to report incidents to police at all.