Bristol students are boycotting clubs next Wednesday, demanding they do more to prevent spiking

“We have already adopted vigorous searches on our doors each night we trade. In addition our security and team now ask our clientele to not leave their drinks unattended at any point. Any unattended drinks are collected by our staff and disposed of. In the past we had a designated place for drinks to be put down to use our smoking area, this option has been completely removed.

“We have replaced some of our CCTV cameras and improved positioning to give us better coverage of our venue and added more signs displaying that the venue is under close surveillance.  We are introducing additional signage around the venue to bring awareness of the severity of spiking and to discourage individuals to leave their drinks unattended. Also not to accept drinks from strangers who do not work in our venue. We have added additional security members who constantly survey our venue to ensure people are safer.

“In relation to the girls night in post, we are fully behind the notion they are propogating [sic]. Our concern is that by creating a campaign to ‘boycott clubs’ feels as though they are working against us and that we are source of the issue. If Nightclubs are closed, will this solve the bigger ongoing issue?

“Ultimately, we have the same objective and want the same result. Nightclubs are not the culprits, the individuals with the sinister actions are.

Lizard Lounge has a positive record, yet we are taking further active steps to eradicate this issue altogether. We work extremely closely with local authorities and are attending training with the police and other venues to combat this together  in Bristol. As a nightclub, we have the resources, influence and support to make a difference. By boycotting nightclubs, it suggests the issue only resides within these environments, and ultimately does not help us resolve it with  strength and unity.

A spokesperson for Przym Bristol said: “People should feel safe on a night out, and they should feel safe in our club. We are the most regulated part of the hospitality sector; we work hard to create a welcoming, inclusive and safe environment so that all our customers can enjoy a fun night out and will do everything we can to protect this right.

“While these incidents are rare, we take all reports of this nature very seriously. Our teams are fully trained on the issue, we operate our ‘We Care’ policy and support the ‘Ask Angela’ scheme. We will make free anti-spiking bottle stoppers, protective drink covers and drug testing kits available and have redoubled searches on entry.

“We also have extensive CCTV coverage throughout the venue that we pass on to the Police to help with any investigation. Anyone who is suspected of spiking is detained and handed over to the Police.

“We would encourage anyone who sees suspicious behaviour, or suspects they have been a victim of spiking, to seek immediate assistance from a member of staff or security, who are trained to help and who also have the support of our onsite Medic. We would also encourage them to contact Police and seek medical advice, so that any allegation can be properly investigated.”

A spokesperson for Larocca said: We feel anything that heightens awareness of this issue can only benefit both customers and venues in the long term but this is a problem that can manifest itself at any busy pub, bar, event, festival or even house parties not just nightclubs so we encourage everyone to be aware of the issue in all busy settings where alcohol is present.  

“As a venue that has been trading under the same name for over 40 years and under its current operations team for 13 and we are proud we have a reputation for safeguarding our customers. We currently operate over 16 CCTV cameras which cover every area within the club in high definition where light levels allow along with 4 new bodycams.

“We also have our own in-house security team who are highly trained with regard to the safety issues and since we re-opened after lockdown we have prioritised paying attention to drinks on shelves and more importantly the behaviour of customers and the potential symptoms of common spiking substances. We also ensure a security presence outside of the club once we have closed to ensure all of our customers leave safely.

“We also have the advantage of being a smaller venue where we are able to monitor customers more closely and hopefully re-assure customers. La Rocca also actively encourages customers to raise any issues with our security or other staff straight away so they can be dealt with swiftly.

“We are working with the local authorities and indeed are awaiting field test kits from our local Police Licensing Officer which will allow us to carry out ‘on the spot’ testing of any suspected spiked drinks and we are informed that this will give us enough grounds to detain any suspects.

“We have  increased signage above all shelf areas to raise awareness and are supporting the objective and goals of schemes such as AskAngela and Bristol Rules.

“We are very proud of our record and the relationship we have with our many regular customers so we have chosen to take the step to help raise awareness of this issue by not opening on Wednesday 27th.”