Alarm at drink spiking reports in Derry - Ferguson

The Foyle MLA said “Reports that a number of people socialising in our city centre had their drinks spiked is extremely worrying.

“We are now heading into to the very busy Halloween and Christmas period which will see a large influx of people into entertainment venues and bars in our city and its very sad that in today’s society we have to warn people about the dangers of drinks being spiked

“Adding alcohol or drugs to someone’s drink, commonly known as drink spiking, has become an increasingly worrying trend in recent years and very often the unsuspecting victim will not be aware until it is too late.

“There are a number of steps that people can take to help protect themselves including: No one should ever leave their drink unattended.

“If you need to go somewhere without your drink, try to ensure someone you trust will watch it until you get back or discard it.

“You should never let a stranger buy you a drink.”