Manchester nightclubs are failing to prevent sexual harassment and spiking on their premises

WARNING: This article includes accounts of sexual harassment and spiking and may be distressing for some readers. Resources for support are listed at the end of the article.

From September to December 2021, Manchester became a haven for sexual harassment and spiking on licensed premises (clubs, bars, nightclubs). This resulted in nightclub boycotts across the region and demonstrations through the streets of Manchester city centre.

The Greater Manchester council promised to implement safety measures to protect the public, but our investigation reveals the city’s most popular nightclubs are still failing to prevent incidents from taking place.

 “I feel so uncomfortable in a clubbing environment, clubs should be doing more to prevent sexual harassment, it’s shocking.”

This past month, I visited five of the city’s most popular nightclubs to see what they were proactively implementing to prevent incidents and support victims.

Out of five venues, only one displayed Ask for Angela posters.

Ask For Angela is a safety initiative that aims to help anyone who feels unsafe in night-time venues, including pubs, bars and clubs. 

When feeling in a vulnerable situation, a person can approach bar or security staff and ‘ask for Angela’. They should then be met with support and measures to ensure their safety.

Yet without the display of these posters, many visitors may be unsure whether these safety measures are in place.

I questioned one club I visited, Ark, located on Deansgate Locks, why they didn’t display ‘Ask for Angela’ posters on their premises. They provided no written response and sent this photograph:

“You would think nightclubs would have our best interest at heart, but the safety just isn’t there.”

Alongside this, drink covers were not advertised at any premises I visited. 

42^nd Street nightclub notably advertised drink covers and encouraged their use during the months of October-December 2021 last year. But in recent months, posters haven’t been seen on the premise. 

When questioned why drink covers were no longer advertised, 42^nd street stated:

“We do still offer drinks covers, but posters do get taken down by customers and aren't always spotted as needing replacing.”

“Most of our customers are regulars and some use this offer, but we will check the poster situation.”

All nightclubs visited didn't allow attendees to take drinks into outdoor smoking areas or bathrooms, but offered the option of drinks to be left on tables by exit doors. This encourages visitors to either drink said drinks or leave them unattended. 

When visiting premises, I was witness to individuals leaving the club in a distressed/sedated state, violence between goers and heard several accounts of men committing forms of sexual harassment at several venues. 

Greater Manchester Council is yet to reply at the time of publishing.

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I submitted a freedom of information request to Greater Manchester Police, questioning the number of recorded spiking’s and incidents of sexual harassment on licensed premises.

They responded by stating:

“GMP does not hold the information that you have requested in an easily retrievable format. To provide the data requested would involve a manual review of all records. To determine if the location was a licenced premises a manual review would be required of all harassment records.

"A search of GMPs records shows a total of 47,179 records for 2021. At a very conservative estimate of 15 minutes to locate, retrieve and review each record would take approximately 11,794 hours to ascertain the data required. As such, it is anticipated it would take in excess of 18 hours to provide the requested information.

"Since 2019 Greater Manchester police have seen a three-year rise of 68% in reported cases of harassment, alarm, or distress in the region".

And when it comes to spiking, the figures are all the more alarming. 

Written evidence submitted to the Home Affairs Committee Inquiry on Spiking by the Mayor of Greater Manchester; Andy Burnham reveals that around 90% of reported spiking incidents occurred in the city region.

Greater Manchester alone saw a 151% rise in spiking in just one month, from 57 in September 2021 to 143 in October. 

With the rise in reported cases of public sexual harassment and spiking, there has been a push over the past year for Manchester nightclubs to put tighter measures in place to prevent incidents from occurring.

Students across the UK and Manchester boycotted nightclubs last October as a part of the Girls Night in Campaign in protest of the terrifying rise in drink spiking and injection spiking.

As a direct response to the increase in related incidents, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) launched a 10-year gender-based violence strategy aiming to increase street safety and safety at night for women and girls.

Alongside this, the city’s council has set up an Anti-Spiking Partnership in Greater Manchester which states they’re committed to “rolling out clear guidance to venues, bars, and nightclubs… and act on premises that do not follow the guidance and who do not support victims.”

I spoke to victims of sexual harassment and spiking in Manchester City Centre nightclubs to see what role premises played in their experiences. 

To protect their identity all victims will remain anonymous. In line with this victims’ names have been changed and accounts have been altered where appropriate

Eva* has been spiked via needle injection on two occasions at Manchester city centre nightclubs. Most recently at Ark on Deansgate Locks, a hotspot for students and city visitors.

 “I was just completely out of it. I got there at half 11 and by half 12 I was kicked out for being too drunk, well as they thought.”

When exiting the club Eva fell over on the pavement and hit her face on the concrete, “I didn’t break my nose but it was just bleeding everywhere. It was just me and my friend on the night out and she was holding me up and was asking security to help her and they just came back with ‘no she’s too drunk you need to take her home.”

“The next day I woke up and I didn’t know what had happened. My arm really ached, and because of the first time, I was always checking my arms anyway. My heart sank when I saw a needle mark.”

Eva didn’t report the incident due to the circumstances of her leaving the club. I reached out on her behalf, and they stated in response:

“Guest safety, along with that of our teams, is and has always been our number one priority. In response to your concerns about safety in clubs and bars, we have additional measures to help guests stay safe.

These will include “Ask Angela” publicised in our toilets, providing drinks covers (Spikeys and Scrunchies) to anyone who wants them, we also have Guest Support colleagues in many of our venues (who wear a neon armband) if you or any guest has any concerns, questions or feel vulnerable please ask them or any of our venue staff for help.”

The Home Affairs Committee surveyed the levels of reporting spiking incidents in the UK. Statistics reveal that 75% of victims didn’t report incidents and reported only 14% of incidents to the police.

In contrast, 34% of witnesses did not report incidents, but the level of reporting by witnesses to the police was also very low and stands at 15%.

Eva* further stated, “The thought of someone taking advantage of you is horrible. People spike with intention. If I didn’t have friends that looked after me anything could have happened.”

Many victims are often left with the thought of what if? But sadly, for many spiking victims, sexual harassment often follows. 

It is unclear why people spike others. Research conducted by the Egalitarian identifies that many spiking incidents occur with the intention of sexual assault, violence, or rape.

In December 2021 Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) launched their #IsThisOk gender violence campaign, urging men and boys to reflect on their behaviour towards women and girls. The campaign aims to spark conversation across the region about behaviours considered sexual harassment. 

“We were a group of six girls and throughout the duration of the night, every single one of us was either groped, harassed, or inappropriately touched by a male.”

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In February Sophie* celebrated finishing her dissertation with her friends at Manchester Nightclub FAC251, as they “thought it would be a good way to celebrate.”

Instead of having a fun night with her friends, the group spent the night being sexually harassed by male attendees of the club.

“It got to the point where if a male came up to us or even if he approached one of us it would be one girl defending another, or one girl pulling another away from a male. We were that weary of them after everything that happened, we weren’t taking any chances” she explained.

After the first incident took place Sophie’s friend approached a bouncer on the second floor to report it. She explained, “The bouncer went into the room where it happened, but it didn’t look like anything had been done about it. So, for the rest of the night, none of us went up to any members of staff to talk to them as we thought there was no use as they weren’t going to do anything.”

In response FAC251 stated:

“As a Venue, we work tirelessly on making sure that each individual person has a safe and positive experience.”

“We employ a welfare officer to patrol inside the venue to make sure no person is vulnerable and having a safe experience whilst at the club.”

“On our busier nights, we have a maximum of 14 SIA trained security and additionally, all of our staff are trained on the ask for Angela scheme.”

The club has asked for further details on Sophie’s experiences in order to identify the staff involved.

UN Women UK 2021 report found that more than 95% of women aged between 18–24 years old did not report their experiences of sexual harassment.

44% of women agreed that having more confidence in the consequences of reporting would encourage them to report, whilst 32% said that having more confidence in the anonymity of the reporting system would make them more likely to report it.

I asked victims why they didn’t report incidents and a recurring theme began to appear. 

One victim explained, “I just don’t feel as though they will take my claims seriously, I don’t think anyone does. And yet again it will be a blame game of ‘oh you were too drunk’ or ‘much worse could have happened.”

Public trust in the system and nightclubs is something that needs to increase for women to feel comfortable reporting an incident.

“The person who was there to protect me preyed on me.”

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Just last month, Jenny* was on a night out with friends at Manchester’s 42nd Street Nightclub when a bouncer in the club stated something inappropriate. 

“My initial reaction was he was telling me off. But as I questioned what he had asked me, I regretted even stopping to ask” she stated.”

Jenny explained, “He blatantly stated he wanted to eat me for breakfast. I pointed at him and said you shouldn’t say that with a smile on my face in pure shock.”

When Jenny left the bathroom, she intended to tell her friends about the incident and then report it to staff members. 

“I was reluctant to tell a staff member and then my friends were involved in an altercation and without saying a word to anyone we had left the club and headed to another part of town”, she explained.

Jenny reported her experiences to 42nd Street Nightclub, one of the club's managers stated:

“I’ve looked into your complaint and am struggling to identify the door person from your description… can I suggest in future if you have any problems with any of my members of staff you ask to speak to a manager at the issue can be resolved immediately?.”

Pubs, bars and nightclubs higher staff to ensure safety within premises. But in reported cases like this, it becomes apparent that when working in an environment where people are drinking and vulnerable, you can take advantage of your authority. 

In the UK to work as a bouncer at a licensed premise (pub, bar or club) you have to hold a Security Industry Authority License (SIA).

Statistics released by the Security Industry Authority in April 2022 state Manchester is the second-highest area in the UK of people with security licenses and a staggering 89% of those with a license in the UK are male.

A person applying will receive checks on areas such as their identity, criminal record, right to work and mental health.

Yet despite these checks, it is highly possible for an SIA license-holder to have a criminal record.

The Government website states:

“If you have a single offence on your record from a long time ago and you were given a fine, we might still grant you a licence.”

In accordance with the Rehabilitation of Offences Act, designed to support the rehabilitation of offenders into employment, if a person has remained on the right side of the law it is their right to re-enter the working world.

The Guidance on the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and The Exceptions Order 1975 state:

“Under the 1974 Act, following a specified period of time which varies according to the disposal administered or sentence passed, cautions and convictions (except those resulting in prison sentences of over four years and all public protection sentences) may become spent. As a result, the offender is regarded as rehabilitated.”

So, as it stands, it is entirely possible that those with a history of committing violent or sexual crimes may be holders of SIA licenses.

When pressed as to why this is the case, a Home Office spokesperson stated:

“The Security Industry Authority (SIA) conducts a careful check of an individual’s suitability before they can gain a licence to work in the private security sector, including a thorough and compulsory criminal record check. This includes checking for sexual offences and the SIA are able to refuse licences on a case-by-case basis.”

“In accordance with the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, the SIA cannot apply a permanent ban to someone with a conviction and the Home Office further stated there are “no plans to seek changes to the licensing criteria in context.”

Manchester City Councils Statement Licensing Policy 2021–2026 states that “only individuals licensed by the Security Industry Authority shall be used at the premises to undertake security activities.”

Statistics from 2015–18 reveal that almost 100 bouncers were arrested for violent and sexual crimes in Manchester City Centre.

Any further statistics are yet to be released in advance and despite being approached to comment on this at the time of publishing Manchester City Council is yet to reply.

“There was a bouncer that was creepy, and he was an older guy who was being inappropriate with a female member of staff.”

I spoke to a former worker at Manchester’s biggest new nightclub to discuss their experiences working at the club.

“I worked at the club last year. I finished working there mainly because I had a lot going on with university. I quite enjoyed working there.”

“There was a creepy bouncer, and he was an older guy who was being inappropriate with one of the girls and she left because of it. And I think he got sacked in the end, and it’s good because you would like to think he wouldn’t keep his job.”

“It kind of did play a part in me leaving because I knew a lot of girls had experienced that and I thought if I stay longer I know that it could happen to me.”

I reached out to the club for a response, but they failed to reply before publishing.

If you or someone you know believes they have been spiked, call the police on 101 or via LiveChat on their website www.GMP.police.UK

If you’ve been affected by sexual harassment or assault, the following services will provide treatment or support:

• A doctor or practice at your GP Surgery

• A voluntary organisation such as Victim Support, Survivors (for male victims of sexual assault) and Rape Crisis.

• Greater Manchester Rape Crisis free helpline on 0161 273 4591 (Mon to Fri: 10 am- 4 pm. Wed and Thurs Evenings: 6 pm-9 pm).

• the police by dialling 101

• In an emergency, dial 999

• NHS 111