By Robyn Smith
There has been a recent call by students for more support from club staff surrounding the issues of spiking within the town’s nightlife.
Camel Club, located in the heart of Huddersfield, is the main location for student nightlife but many students have found themselves having bad experiences with spiking within the club. This comes in spite of the club claiming there have been no spiking incidents within Huddersfield.
“Luckily I was with my friends, and they were able to take care of me, but the staff literally don’t care at all as to whether you’re okay or not.” claims Amine Eroglu, a student at the University of Huddersfield who frequently attends the club.
“It’s well known that they will kick you out if they suspect that you’ve been spiked so they don’t have to take responsibility for it.”
Many stories have come from students regarding how staff and security treat guests who suspect they have been spiked, with one claiming they had to attend hospital after being spiked in the club.
“They were taking me outside, luckily my friend found me on the way out.” An anonymous source stated on their experience in the club after being spiked.
It comes after police forces nationally saw a surge in spiking reports in October 2021, with claims this helped raise awareness of the issue.
On October 22nd 2021, Camel Club issued a statement where they claimed, ‘If you are spiked on a night out this will only ever become more of a serious problem if your mates are not with you, and I believe most sexual assaults through spiking on a night out could have been prevented if nobody goes home alone.’ prompting extreme backlash from students and club-goers alike.
It is well regarded that Camel Club does take preventions to its guests getting spiked. “They do bag and body searches when you get there, but it’s clearly not enough to actually sort the problem. No club can ever be entirely safe from spiking but actively ignoring the issue is another problem all together,” Eroglu states.
However, students continue to call out for a better response from the club staff and security when it comes to handling and protecting guests who suspect they have been spiked.
A spokesperson for Camel said: “All members of our staff are first aid trained, we always make sure anyone who has been in the care of first aiders has a safe way home, and always sign post people to the police and A and E to report incidents.”