Drink-spiking prevention kits have been given to revellers in Medway during a special operation which also saw officers make two arrests.
Between Friday 7 and Saturday 8 October 2022 police from Medway’s Community Policing Team patrolled Medway as part of ongoing efforts to ensure people remain safe while visiting the area at night.
As part of the operation, women in Rochester High Street were given drink spiking prevention kits which were made up of a personal attack alarm, bottle cap, a hair scrunchie drink cover, a spiking test strip and safety leaflets.
Officers also provided crime prevention and personal safety advice to those women to remind them about staying safe while out socialising in the town.
During the weekend licensing checks were made at 11 different venues and officers also made two arrests.
While patrolling Rochester High Street they arrested a 32-year-old man on suspicion of sexually assaulting a woman only moments earlier. The suspect was taken to custody and has since been bailed until Wednesday 2 November while enquiries continue.
Officers also stopped and assisted a woman who appeared to be distressed. Having spoken to her she alleged that her partner had just assaulted her.
Police quickly located a man matching his description and he was arrested on suspicion of assault. The man, aged 24, has since been bailed with conditions, until Thursday 27 October.
District Commander for Medway, Chief Inspector Shona Lowndes said: ‘The results from this operation reinforces how important this work is.
‘Not only were officers on hand to swiftly intervene and arrest suspects moments after the incidents were reported to have happened, reassuring victims and preventing any further criminality, but they were also able to gain a lot of intelligence which helps officers to respond and investigate future crimes.
‘We want people, in particular women and girls, to enjoy visiting the towns during the evening and to ensure they do so in a safe and responsible manner. We will continue to run similar operations to ensure a visible police presence and to send a reminder to criminals that we can be anywhere at any time.’
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