Last week at the Welsh Assembly, the four Welsh Police Forces and the Minister for Finance, Local Government and Communities Edwina Hart launched the All Wales Spiked Drinks Initiative.
The four Welsh Police Forces have joined together to launch this important initiative in order to raise public awareness of the dangers associated with 'spiked' drinks, that is something being added to a person's drink without their knowledge.
"Rather than concentrate on one or two specific substances, we felt it important that people were alerted to the broader dangers of all types of 'spiking'," said a spokesperson.
"All sections of society are exposed to the risk, but in the past we have felt it necessary to prioritise and target young people, in particular in areas with a large student population and those who frequent pubs and clubs. The first phase of this awareness campaign took place last year with the circulation of posters publicising the problem.
"At this time of year, with the festive season upon us, regardless of whether at a house party with friends, or out on the town, people should be vigilant and aware of the risk that something may be added to their drink without their knowledge.
"'Spiking' is sometimes meant as a harmless prank, but of course it can lead to serious consequences for an individual - not only severe intoxication, but also increased health risks owing to the person consuming the drink perhaps being on medication or suffering from a pre-existing medical condition such as diabetes.
"There has been cases where people have been overcome by substances that have been secretly added to their drink, either by friends or strangers, and in the most serious cases offences of rape or assault have taken place."
Whilst such cases in Wales are rare, they do occur. For example, within the Dyfed Powys Police area there have been at least two potential incidents in recent weeks which have led to the hospitalisation of those involved and in respect of which police enquiries are continuing with the result of tests being awaited.
This new initiative takes the form of an awareness campaign across Wales, that involves targeting people frequenting licensed premises by using eye catching bi-lingual beer mats which contain a strong 'anti spiking' message and some useful tips to reduce the risk of having your drink spiked. For example, 'Don't leave your drink unattended'. Five hundred thousand such beer mats carrying this important prevention message are to be distributed within each force across the whole of Wales.
"Our aim is two-fold," continued the spokesperson. "Firstly to raise the awareness of potentially dangerous situations for both pub and club goers, and secondly to encourage people to protect themselves and come forward to report such incidents when they occur.
"In addition we would appeal to licensees and their staff to be vigilant and to report any suspicious activity in this context to the police. An example of such co-operation is an incident in Carmarthen some months ago where an individual was spotted by a member of bar staff adding something to a person's drink.
"The Police were called and a man arrested who was subsequently prosecuted for supplying controlled drugs, namely amphetamine sulphate. On conviction, he was sentenced to six months imprisonment. This case serves to highlight the importance of partnership working which can only further enhance public safety within our communities."