Photo: 123RF
- A survivor of drink spiking wants an Australian test introduced here to prevent harm to others
- Police are assessing whether the drink spiking test could be a viable option
- Victim advocate Ruth Money describes the test as a game changer
- Know Your Stuff says research is needed to show it produces accurate results
A survivor of drink spiking is calling for the country to follow in Australia's footsteps and introduce a test that can detect if a drink has been tampered with.
He said both police and the hospitality industry need to work together to introduce it by Christmas when bars and festivals will be at their busiest.
Tama - not his real name - recounts having a normal night out on the town with his friend in Wellington when suddenly things started to get blurry.
There was a four hour gap where he doesn't remember anything but CCTV footage shows he spent several hours in a public toilet.
Police told him someone in that time entered the toilets but weren't in there long enough to steal anything.
Later on that night, his phone and cards went missing.
Someone had also spent $300 at a Night 'n Day with his debit card.
At 6.30am he realised he was in a dairy with only a shirt, undies and one shoe on.
His experience left him traumatised which is why he wants the country to follow in Australia's footsteps and introduce a drink spiking test.
Tama said introducing it by the silly season would be the best time to do so.
"Why not introduce them, that's just the perfect opportunity to test them and see how they work in environments like festivals and packed out clubs and bars during the festive season. A time where people would appreciate that resource at a touch of a finger or it being so accessible," he said.
The symptoms he felt all resembled GBL, also known as liquid ecstasy.
Last month Australia introduced a new test by SureScreen to detect if a drink has been roofied after a surge in spiking this year.
It is available online and works like a COVID test but instead of saliva the user applies three drops of their drink onto a test cassette and within five minutes a result is revealed.
Tama said police and Hospitality NZ need to work together to get it introduced as quickly as they can into bars.
"They need to take responsibility and help police lead the charge to fix what I think is a pretty big problem in New Zealand. I know I'm not the only one to have my drinks spiked in my circle and in wider circles. If you can get your drink tested at a bar, then you're unlikely to end up in a dairy with no clothes on and not remembering several hours of your night because your drink had possibly been spiked," he said.
Independent victim advocate Ruth Money said she is being approached by more and more people who were victims of drink spiking.
"I think it's absolutely fascinating technology, it's something that we really need to look at here. Without a doubt these tests will make a difference, I'm dealing with survivors of drink spiking very regularly and if someone had something easy to be able to test with it would be a game changer," she said.
Police declined RNZ's request for an interview but said in a statement they're aware of the new test and are assessing whether it could be an option here.
There are other kits you can buy online internationally which detects Ketamine and GHB - but on one website alone, a test strip costs almost $40.
Know Your Stuff managing director Casey Spearin said she is for the tests but wants proof they will work because others have been shown to be inaccurate.
"I would want to see the evidence that they're affective, what are the scientific studies that have been done on this and that's in order to not give people a false sense of security thinking they might be safe when they're not or potentially these false positives cause legal troubles for someone down the line when they haven't done anything wrong so accuracy is a big thing," she said.
In a statement Hospitality NZ's chief executive Steve Armitage said the tests would be a valuable resource to create a safer environment for guests.
"While the presence of drink-spiking tests could potentially deter individuals from spiking drinks, it is important to acknowledge the practical challenges involved in implementing and maintaining such a system. The costs associated with purchasing and using these tests, as well as the need for staff training, would need to be carefully considered," he said.
"It's important to note that the effectiveness of drink spiking tests in reducing incidents of spiking would need to be evaluated through further research and data collection."
Its board member and bar owner Jeremy Smith said it would be a helpful tool that can be introduced in a low-key way.
"It's not something one would probably over publicise, you don't want everybody every time they buy a drink to have it tested but absolutely if someone thinks their drink has been spiked that ability to test it or got more chance of identifying who did the spiking and we can track them down and call the police," he said.
He said there is potential to get a small amount behind bars in time for the silly season if the kits prove to be a reasonable price and easy to source.
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