It's an absolute pleasure to take part in this important and pertinent debate this afternoon. I'm pleased that the issue of spiking has finally gained mainstream media attention because the scourge has existed for many years, but thankfully there has been an increase in awareness in recent months. I'm therefore grateful to my colleague and party for tabling this debate today, but I do however take issue with Plaid Cymru's amendment to the motion. While it's true that the majority of spiking attacks are against women, one in four of those attacks are against men and that was how Britain's most prolific rapist, Reynhard Sinaga, attacked his victims. Thankfully, Sinaga is behind bars, serving a 40-year sentence for carrying out 159 sexual assaults.

Sadly, far too many attacks, whether it's men or women, either go unreported or fail to result in any prosecutions at all. In my policing area in north Wales, there were only 18 reports and zero arrests last year. We have to get the message out to victims of this insidious crime that it's okay to report spiking, it is a crime, and you shouldn't be embarrassed to report it. I am sympathetic to the Welsh Government's stance that the focus should be on holding the perpetrators to account, but the people who carry out these crimes are twisted individuals who have become very good at evading the attentions of the criminal justice system.

I'm grateful that the Home Secretary is taking this issue seriously and look forward to seeing an increase in prosecutions. However, we also have a duty to raise awareness of this crime. We all have a role to play in tackling the scourge of spiking, and I urge the Welsh Government to work with operators in the night-time economy on measures to protect patrons and to raise awareness around spiking.

Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation surrounding this issue. We've all seen the infographics doing the rounds on social media, warning us to look out for things like change in colour or sinking ice. Where it might be the case in some circumstances, it's often impossible to tell if a drink has been spiked with chemicals or, indeed, additional alcohol. The only way to ensure that your drink hasn't been spiked is for it never to leave your sight, but we all know that isn't practical. We therefore need to work with the industry to look at alternative solutions for drink security. Others have mentioned stop tops and other such methods. There have also been trials of drinks lockers, a way of securing your drink while you visit the bathroom or the dancefloor—the latter part of that would be my preference on a night out.

And whatever steps we take, the most important one will be awareness, and we all have a duty to ensure that we are vigilant, for us to make it impossible for the despicable creatures who seek to drug others to carry out their horrendous crimes. Let us stand up, take action and prevent any further young women and men from becoming victims. Diolch yn fawr iawn.