Testing kits that detect if a patron’s drink has been spiked are now available at police stations in regional WA in an Australian-first initiative to understand the scale of the issue.  Self-test kits for drink spiking victims are available at all police stations in regional WA  The new kits will help understand the scale of the issue in regional towns  Police WA urge suspected victims to come forward WA police hope the initiative will encourage more victims to come forward.  Women’s Healthcare Centre CEO Gloria Moyle said drink spiking was a big problem In the state’s Goldfields region. “I do not have any actual statistics, but it is linked to many things that happen here in the Goldfields, particularly after hours,” Ms Moyle said. Ms Moyle believes the problem is widespread. ( Goldfields-Esperance Rosemary Murphy  ) However, Kalgoorlie’s Exchange Hotel manager Shane Tyler said the insidious practice using illegal or prescription drugs was very rare. “In my personal experience, there has been only one patron banned permanently from our premises for a suspect attempt to spike their friend’s drink,” he said. Drink spiking can happen anywhere, not just in pubs. ( Goldfields: Tom Joyner ) More data needed Drink-spiking incidents were not limited to nightclubs and pubs and they were not gender specific, said Detective Inspector Stuart Hartzenberg. My drink was spiked. Reporting it has felt impossible On a recent night out with her partner and friends, Sarah Schubert says her drink was spiked. She says trying to report it has been impossible. Read more The WA Police sex crime division officer, who used to be head of the Kalgoorlie detectives office, said drink spiking also happened in private settings like home parties. “The sex assault squad, for argument’s sake, had recent investigations where offenders have been charged with an array of sexually based offences where they have taken the victim back to their home, laced their drink with drugs and sexually assaulted them,” Detective Inspector Hartzenberg said. “We don’t have any data, we would have to collate that over a period of time, and, because we just launched the initiative, we will capture that sort of information and produce a database from that into the future. “These test kits will help identify issues.” The self-test kits are available at all police stations in regional WA.  ( Goldfields-Esperance: Giulia Bertoglio ) Taking action against drink spiking Detective Inspector Hartzenberg said testing was easy. The suspected victim simply had to provide a urine sample which was then sent to ChemCentre WA for testing. Sexual assault support lines: 1800 Respect National Helpline : 1800 737 732 Men’s Referral Service : 1300 766 491 Lifeline (24-hour crisis line): 131 114 Victims of Crime Helpline : 1800 819 817 Full Stop Australia : 1800 385 578 “The frontline officer you speak to at the counter would take you through an easy step by step process, which is very unobtrusive,” Detective Inspector Hartzenberg said. Reporting a suspect drink spiking incident within 48 hours gives police better chances to confirm it and prosecute the offender, if the victim decides to report the crime. Police WA also said the tests would not be used to prosecute anyone who might have used other illicit drugs. Detective Inspector Hartzenberg urged suspected victims to get tested. “They think they might have made a mistake, or they think, ‘Did I drink too much? I can’t remember what happened’,” he said. “We want those people to know, if you are not sure, we can alleviate any worries one way or the other.” Police won’t prosecute anyone who uses the kit and has also been voluntarily using illicit substances. ( : Dane Meale ) Ms Moyle said prompt testing was important to ensure individual victims received justice, but also to protect the wider community. “These statistics can help. If we know there is a problem, we can maybe get more people on the ground. It is vital to be able to report these things to keep everyone safe”, she said. Loading YouTube content Great Southern newsletter: Local news in your inbox Great Southern will deliver a wrap of the week’s news, stories and photos every Thursday. Sign up here.