Superintendent Kathryn Craner, of Nottinghamshire Police, told Nottingham Post: “We are working really closely with our partner agencies throughout Nottinghamshire and have met as recently as today (Wednesday, October 20).

“I would like to reassure people we are working incredibly hard to investigate these reports and are placing a lot of resources into these enquiries and also have a dedicated team of detectives working on any reports made to us.

“Nottingham is a wonderful city and a vibrant place to come for a night out and we want people to experience the great night time economy that we have to offer, not only to local people but also visitors from other areas.

“I understand that these reports and those from other cities are concerning but want to reassure people that we have been working with our partner agencies and licensed premises throughout the city to help tackle any reports of spiking.

“By taking a multi-agency approach and coming together to work on these reports we are able to use a vast amount of resources.

“As has been said, not only do we have a team dedicated to the investigation of these reports but members of the public can also expect to see many more officers patrolling the city centre during the night time economy.

“This is all designed to ensure that our local venues and people on a night out feel safe.

“On top of the extra officers working in the city this weekend we will also have an Operation Guardian running on Saturday as planned.

“This particular tactic is tried and tested and is all about removing drugs and people in possession of drugs from our city centre.

“It is vital that we investigate any reports as quickly as possible which means being able to secure evidence really quickly.

“This gives us the best chance of being able to progress our investigations.

“One of the really important messages for anybody coming into our city centre is that we need you or your friends to report any incident as soon as possible.

“If you believe you have been spiked, feel you have been spiked, suspect anybody else has been spiked or see any suspicious activity we need you to report that immediately.

“There will be lots of officers in the city centre for you to report any concerns to but also we have trained employees at majority of the venues in the city who you will be able to speak to as well.

“These employees will know what to do and how to get that report to us.

“I cannot overstate the importance of reporting as quickly as possible.”