Overview

• Operation Albenga launched with officers boarding party boats at Westminster Pier in the first maritime use of vape-testing kits.
• The portable devices screen vapes for substances such as spice and THC as part of wider trials of mobile drug ID tools including near‑infrared scanners with an app.
• Home Office minister Jess Phillips joined the launch, praised the technology, and had her own vape tested during the demonstration.
• The Met logged more than 2,000 spiking allegations between March 2024 and March 2025, with women and girls disproportionately affected and 66% of August cases female.
• Initial boat checks led to no arrests, with police urging victims to report incidents as the operation continues under the force’s Violence Against Women and Girls strategy and partner engagement.