The Assembly has approved Minister Long’s legislative consent motion (LCM), which will bring the new spiking offence from the UK Government’s Crime and Policing Bill – along with other measures – into law in Northern Ireland, making spiking a stand-alone offence here.

Ms Egan has said: “Spiking is a truly abhorrent act. Delivering this new criminal offence is an important part of Minister Long's work to keep our communities safe and tackle violence against women and girls, who make up the majority of spiking victims.

“In making it a new stand-alone offence, we hope this will act as a powerful deterrent against spiking, help reverse the under-reporting of spiking, and improve police data collection and understanding of the prevalence of spiking.

“Everyone should be able to go out and enjoy our nightlife without having to fear the night could end in them or someone they care about being spiked, and I’m grateful to the Justice Minister for bringing this legislation forward.

Cllr Murray added: “If we want to have thriving night-time economies in Belfast and in towns and cities right across Northern Ireland, people have to be reassured that they’re safe and that measures are in place to protect them from harm while they're out.

“To see the Justice Minister prioritise extending this legislation here is incredibly welcome.

“Having previously brought a motion to Belfast City Council calling for spiking test kits to be made available in licensed venues here, now is the time to see this roll-out progressed at last, and I and my Alliance colleagues will continue working to see it done.”