By Jack Robert Stacey | Editor-in-Chief
According to the National Police Chiefs’ Council, the months of September and October saw a total of 198 confirmed reports of drink spiking with victims including both men and women – As many analysts have asserted, however, it is difficult to fully understand the severity of the situation due to the likelihood that a number of incidents have not been reported to the Police.
With stories of drink spiking continuing to circulate online over the last few weeks, a number of students have expressed feeling vulnerable about attending in-person night-time events unless significant changes are made.
Bryony Danks, Women’s Officer at Cardiff University Students’ Union, said that, following on from these recent events, students “are bound to feel on edge and be fearful” for their own safety”. As a majority of drink spiking cases involve young women, Danks added that female students “are more likely to feel unsafe” than other groups and, as such, may actively avoid moving around the city at night.
“The knock on effect on women,” she explained, “is that they are limited to what they believe they can do, may that be going for a run in the evening, or being able to leave a club on their own if they want.”
In addition to making sure that students look out for each other when on nights out, Danks raised the importance of “talking about these issues as a society to take away the burden from the victim/survivor of this abuse.” She concluded by maintaining that, “if people are not aware of the severity of the situation, things will never change.”
Recently, a number of demonstrations have been organised around the UK to raise awareness of drink spiking and to advocate for increased security measures at nightclubs.
As part of a letter addressed to nightclubs, ‘Girls Night In’, the campaign group behind the recent protests in 45 cities, asserted that the “movement is coming from a place of fear and anger regarding our safety and health” and began with the hopes that “nightclubs will incite meaningful changes and create reform.”
The group have also drafted a petition to the UK Government calling for nightclubs to be legally required to “thoroughly search guests on entry” in order to “prevent harmful weapons and other items entering the establishment” – This petition, created by Hannah Thomson, has received over 170,000 signatures and is due to be debated in Parliament over the next few weeks.
PC Mike Neate, the Student Liaison and Community Safety Officer with South Wales Police, said that as the result of these recent events, his team remain committed to “making sure that students have got the advice and information that they need” to stay safe when on nights out in Cardiff.
In their work to improve student safety, PC Neate added that South Wales Police have “got a lot of plans in place to make sure that the city and the night-time economy are as safe as possible for everybody.”
One key example of this, he said, is the Student Safety Bus; a scheme which has been offering support to vulnerable people across the city for almost 10 years.
PC Neate explained that although the Safety Bus does assist students who have “maybe had a little too much to drink,” volunteers are also equipped to respond to a variety of “other vulnerability issues”, including those which are drug-related and transporting people to A&E if necessary.
Although there remains to be a wealth of night-time support available in cities like Cardiff, these recent events have understandably raised fears around student safety and, as a result, have prompted a discussion around the role of nightclubs in preventing drink spiking incidents from occurring.
Yn dilyn cynnydd mewn adroddiadau o sbeicio, mae miloedd o fyfyrwyr ledled y DU wedi bod yn boicotio bariau a chlybiau i godi ymwybyddiaeth o’r mater hwn.
Yn ôl Cyngor Cenedlaethol Penaethiaid yr Heddlu, yn ystod misoedd Medi a Hydref cafwyd gyfanswm o 198 o adroddiadau wedi’u cadarnhau o sbeicio gyda’r dioddefwyr yn cynnwys dynion a menywod. Fodd bynnag, fel y mae llawer o ddadansoddwyr wedi nodi, mae’n anodd deall difrifoldeb y sefyllfa’n llawn oherwydd y tebygolrwydd nad yw’r holl ddigwyddiadau wedi’u hadrodd at yr Heddlu.
Gyda straeon am sbeicio yn parhau i gael eu rannu ar-ein dros yr wythnosau diwethaf, mae nifer o fyfyrwyr wedi mynegi eu bod yn teimlo’n agored i niwed wrth fynychu digwyddiadau yn ystod y nos oni bai bod newidiadau sylweddol yn cael eu gwneud.
Dywedodd Bryony Danks, Swyddog Menywod Undeb Myfyrwyr Prifysgol Caerdydd, fod myfyrwyr “yn siŵr o deimlo yn ansicr ac ofnus” am eu diogelwch eu hunain yn dilyn y digwyddiadau diweddar hyn. Gan fod y rhan fwyaf o achosion o sbeicio yn cynnwys menywod ifanc, ychwanegodd Danks fod myfyrwyr benywaidd “yn fwy tebygol o deimlo’n anniogel” na grwpiau eraill.
“Yr ergyd fwyaf i fenywod,” esboniodd, “yw eu bod yn teimlo fel petai nhw wedi’u cyfyngu i’r hyn y maent yn yn gallu gwneud, dyw hi ddim yn saff i fynd am rediad gyda’r nos neu adael clwb nos ar eu pen eu hunain bellach.”
Yn ogystal â sicrhau bod myfyrwyr yn edrych allan am ei gilydd pan fyddant ar nosweithiau allan, cododd Danks bwysigrwydd “siarad am y materion hyn fel cymdeithas i ddileu’r baich oddi wrth ddioddefwyr/goroeswyr y cam-drin hwn.” Daeth i’r casgliad “os nad yw pobl yn ymwybodol o ddifrifoldeb y sefyllfa, ni fydd pethau byth yn newid.”
Yn ddiweddar, trefnwyd nifer o ddigwyddiadau ledled y DU i godi ymwybyddiaeth o’r mater allweddol hwn ac i hyrwyddo’r angen am fwy o fesurau diogelwch mewn clybiau nos.
Fel rhan o lythyr a gyfeiriwyd at glybiau nos gan y grŵp ymgyrchu ‘Girls Night In’ a oedd tu ôl i’r protestiadau diweddar mewn 45 o ddinasoedd, haerwyd bod y “mudiad yn dod o le o ofn a dicter ynghylch ein diogelwch a’n hiechyd” a soniodd am y gobeithion y byddai “clybiau nos yn annog newidiadau ystyrlon ac yn creu diwygiadau.”
Mae’r grŵp hefyd wedi drafftio deiseb at Lywodraeth y DU yn galw ar glybiau nos i fod yn ofynnol yn gyfreithiol i “chwilio gwesteion yn drylwyr wrth fynd i mewn” er mwyn “atal arfau niweidiol ac eitemau eraill rhag dod i mewn i’r sefydliad” – Mae’r ddeiseb hon, a grëwyd gan Hannah Thomson, wedi derbyn dros 170,000 o lofnodion a bydd felly yn cael ei thrafod yn y Senedd dros yr wythnosau nesaf.
Dywedodd PC Mike Neate, Swyddog Cyswllt Myfyrwyr a Diogelwch Cymunedol gyda Heddlu De Cymru, fod ei dîm, o ganlyniad i’r digwyddiadau diweddar hyn, yn parhau i fod yn ymrwymedig i “sicrhau bod myfyrwyr wedi cael y cyngor a’r wybodaeth sydd eu hangen arnynt” i gadw’n ddiogel pan fyddant ar nosweithiau allan yng Nghaerdydd.
Yn eu gwaith i wella diogelwch myfyrwyr, ychwanegodd PC Neate fod gan Heddlu De Cymru “lawer o gynlluniau ar waith i sicrhau bod y ddinas a’r economi nos mor ddiogel â phosib i bawb.”
Esboniodd PC Neate, er bod y Bws Diogelwch yn cynorthwyo myfyrwyr sydd “efallai wedi cael ychydig gormod i’w yfed,” mae gwirfoddolwyr hefyd wedi’u hyfforddi i ymateb i amrywiaeth o “faterion eraill sy’n ymwneud â niwed”, gan gynnwys y rhai sy’n gysylltiedig â chyffuriau a’r rhai sydd angen cael eu cludo i’r Uned Achosion Brys.
Er bod cymorth ar gael mewn nifer o’r dinasoedd mawr gan gynnwys Caerdydd, mae’n ddealladwy bod y digwyddiadau diweddar hyn wedi codi ofnau ynghylch diogelwch myfyrwyr ac, o ganlyniad, wedi ysgogi trafodaeth ynghylch rôl clybiau nos i atal y digwyddiadau hyn rhag digwydd.
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