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A DANISH firm has backed the Olive Press’ Smash the Spiking campaign relaunched last Autumn.
Under the slogan ‘Eyes Out for All’ we reported an alarming rise of spiking in Spain after readers approached us, including a group of Erasmus students who became victims in Madrid.
Now Copenhagen firm Komfid has launched in Spain focusing on ‘proactivity rather than reactivity’.
Its invention LitLids offers anti-spiking tops which sit inside a glass.
They prevent substances entering while allowing people to sip their drinks or use a straw.
Unlike other anti-spiking products – including special nail varnishes – the company targets venues rather than consumers, selling in bulk to them.
“The owners have a responsibility to keep people safe,” explained founder Marcus Christensen, on a trip to Andalucia.
“Spiking is a serious and often overlooked issue and I’m proud to support the Olive Press campaign which is helping to bring greater attention to the risks and promote safer spaces in Spain,” added expat Mila Van der Liden who is leading the Spanish side of the project.
READ MORE: Making a point: Spain faces growing concern over unreported drinks spiking and assaults
Thankfully the message is slowly ‘getting out’.
“If you have two clubs and one uses our lids and one doesn’t, you’re more likely to go to the one that does because you will feel more safe,” she added.
“And those wanting to spike drinks are much less likely to enter a venue with our lids,” she also insisted.
When approached for the first time, many owners fear the lids will somehow ‘ruin the image of their club’ but the reality is they offer ‘reassurance’.
After a successful pilot project in Sevilla this Spring, the firm will be expanding around the country this summer.
READ MORE: Erasmus student speaks out over terrifying suspected spiking in Madrid night club
“People don’t go out because they fear being spiked but if they know our lids are used at a venue they will feel happier socializing,” added Van der Liden, after trials at the clubs OCCO and Vizzio.
“One girl told me she will definitely be coming back to OCCO now she knows they are using the lids,” she continued. “People simply feel ‘safer’ when anti-spiking measures are in place.”
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