Anti-drink-spiking kits have been rolled out to 17 pubs in Fife.
Revellers on a night out at venues in the Cowdenbeath area will now be able to test their drinks using the kits.
A quick dab of a testing strip will show an immediate positive or negative result for substances regularly used in spiking like ketamine or GHB.
The initiative is being driven by the community group My Cowdenbeath with the help of council funding.
A full list of venues is below, but one of those stocking the kits is Shorty’s Social Club on High Street in Cowdenbeath.
Fife venues ‘standing together to keep customers safe’
Owner Thomas Wilson said: “We’re delighted to support this really worthwhile cause.
“It’s vital that people have confidence to feel safe when they come to a night out.
“We want to demonstrate that drink spiking is a disgusting crime and won’t be tolerated in our venue.
“It’s brilliant to see so many other venues in the local area standing together and doing the same thing, all to help keep our customers safe throughout the year.
“Hopefully the heightened awareness and these resources will spread widely over the community that anyone tempted to spike a drink thinks twice about it in the area.”
The idea for the project came during a discussion at a meeting of Cowdenbeath Community Council.
Organiser Stuart Duffy said: “Last year we heard positive feedback about the festive safety campaign from the police.
“I had asked whether the test kits were available all year round, but resources didn’t allow for that, so we decided to look into providing them to venues ourselves.
“We’re so grateful to our local councillors who supported the initiative, and to the venues who now stock them.
“We hope that the work can maybe inspire some other areas in time too.
“The key message is that drink spiking in Cowdenbeath will not be tolerated.”
Full list of Fife pubs where anti-spiking kits now stocked
The testing kits are now available in the following venues:
Cowdenbeath
- The Cross Guns
- Partners Bar and Nightclub
- The Beath Inn
- Shorty’s Social Club
- Wee Jimmies
- The Junction Bar
- The Glen Tavern
- The New Woodside Hotel
Lochgelly
- West End Bar
- Shardys
- Minto Lounge
- Torleys
Kelty
- The Kings
Ballingry
- The Craigie Bar
Cardenden
- The Railway Tavern
- The Queens Hotel
- Village Inn
Venues can contact My Cowdenbeath if they are interested in stocking the kits.
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