Overview

• The Met’s Marine Support Unit led Operation Albenga on party boats at Westminster Pier, with Home Office minister Jess Phillips joining the patrols.
• New devices allow rapid testing of vapes for THC and synthetic cannabinoids such as spice, with separate near‑infrared tools and a phone app used to screen powders and tablets.
• The vape‑spiking kits have already been trialled in nightclubs, festivals, concerts and schools, and are now being used on river patrols during Freshers Week.
• Police logged more than 2,000 spiking allegations between March 2024 and March 2025, while stressing the crime is under‑reported.
• Officials report a disproportionate impact on women and girls and central London nightlife hotspots, and they highlighted a south‑east London case that hospitalised children as young as 14 after vapes were contaminated.