Treat everyone as someone you owe a duty of care, because people do not always appear vulnerable.[1] If you suspect a person has been spiked, their welfare comes first: offer first aid and call an ambulance if it is needed, then secure the evidence.[2]
The Pearson specifications quoted here are used across the UK. The Sexual Offences Act 2003 extract quoted applies in England and Wales.
Duty of care
The specification defines duty of care as a moral or legal obligation to ensure the safety or wellbeing of others. Because vulnerability is not always visible, it says best practice is to have a duty of care for everyone.[1]
Duty of care is: ‘ moral or legal obligation to ensure the safety or wellbeing of others’; People may not always appear to be vulnerable so best practice would be to have a duty of care for everyone.
What can make someone vulnerable
The refresher specification lists factors including:[3]
- being under the influence of alcohol or drugs;[3]
- being alone, receiving unwanted attention, separated from friends, or appearing lost or isolated;[3]
- being followed or threatened, or being a victim of domestic violence;[3]
- being under 18, elderly or acutely ill;[3]
- mental ill health, learning disabilities, physical disabilities, and invisible disabilities.[3]
It also lists indicators of child sexual exploitation: children and young people in the company of older people or antisocial groups, acting in an inappropriate and sexualised way, intoxicated, arriving and leaving with different adults, or getting into and out of a number of different cars.[4]
Removing someone from a venue can add to the danger. The door supervisor specification notes that people being ejected are more vulnerable to crimes and attacks common in the night-time economy, and lists sobriety, drug use, age, mental capacity and attitude as factors to weigh before ejecting or refusing entry.[5]
What to do when you are worried about someone
- Get help from other professionals: police, ambulance, street pastors, street marshals or other local schemes.[6]
- Offer to call a relative or friend, or a licensed taxi to take the person home.[6]
- Use safe havens or other local initiatives, such as those run by St John Ambulance.[6]
- Know the current safety initiatives, for example the Ask Angela campaign.[6]
- Report indicators of child sexual exploitation to the police or Crimestoppers as soon as possible.[6]
Predatory behaviour and signs of abuse
Behaviours the specification associates with sexual predators include closely monitoring vulnerable people, buying them drinks or gifts, suspicious behaviour around certain times and venues, and inappropriate use of technology such as upskirting with a phone.[7]
Indicators of abuse include restricting a person’s freedom, unexplained bruising, lack of confidence and insecurity, and changes in circumstances such as cleanliness or appearance.[8]
If someone alleges a sexual assault, follow your organisation’s procedures, notify the police, safeguard the victim, separate the victim from the alleged assailant, and record all the information.[9]
Spiking: methods and signs
Spiking is not only drugs in a drink. The refresher specification lists adding alcohol or drugs to a person’s drink or food without their knowledge or consent, adding more than they agreed to, such as double shots instead of singles, spiking by needle, and spiking cigarettes or vapes.[10]
A spiked drink is hard to spot. Substances used usually have no taste, smell or colour, although a drink may become discoloured or cloudier, fizz, show a separation line, or smell or taste unusual.[11]
Watch the people near the drink as well. Signs of someone attempting to spike include an unsolicited drink from a possible stranger, a hand hovering near or drawing away quickly from someone’s drink, swapping drinks or offering a taste, surveying the surroundings, and adding a shot or other liquid.[12]
Signs that a person may have been spiked include mental confusion or slurred speech, extreme tiredness, being unresponsive, nausea or vomiting, loss of bladder control, dizziness, poor coordination, blurred vision, hallucinations or paranoia, seizures and behaving out of character. Spiking by injection may leave localised pain or a small puncture wound.[13]
Managing a suspected spiking
The refresher specification sets out these steps:[2]
- Put the welfare of the potential victim first. Provide or offer first aid, and call an ambulance if required.[2]
- Assess the risk: would they be in danger if they left the venue?[2]
- Check the people with them: how well do they know the person, and how concerned do they seem?[2]
- If one of those companions tries to leave once told the police are coming, the specification says to consider detaining them. If that is unsafe, give the police a full description and direction of travel.[14]
- Follow the venue safeguarding plan, and use test kits where available.[15]
- Secure the glass, bottle or anything else consumed, secure CCTV and body-worn camera footage, look for witnesses, and record it in the incident book.[15]
Prevention measures listed include a venue spiking policy and specialist staff training, an attended table near the toilets or smoking areas where drinks can be left safely, refusing to add alcohol to another person’s drink, offering anti-spiking stoppers and drink covers, and removing unattended glasses and bottles.[16]
The law, as the specification summarises it
The refresher specification summarises the law for England, Wales and Northern Ireland in two parts. Under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, it says, it is illegal to administer a substance to someone without consent intending to stupefy or overpower them so as to enable sexual activity; under the Offences against the Person Act 1861, it is illegal to maliciously administer poison so as to endanger life or inflict grievous bodily harm. For Scotland it refers to the common law offence of drugging, where intent to stupefy the victim is required.[17]
One related provision is quoted here from the Act itself. Section 75 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, which applies in England and Wales, lists circumstances in which a complainant is to be taken not to have consented unless sufficient evidence is raised to the contrary, provided the defendant did the act and knew the circumstance existed.[18][19] One of those circumstances is that someone had given the complainant, without their consent, a substance capable of stupefying or overpowering them at the time.[20]
Vulnerable people and spiking both appear in the Door Supervisor mock test. The incident reports guide covers recording and preserving evidence in more depth.
What this guide does not cover
- The text of the spiking offences the refresher specification names. We quote its summary, but the sections of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 and the Offences against the Person Act 1861 it refers to are not in our source store, and neither is Scottish law on drugging.
- First aid. It is a separate qualification that you must hold before training, and nothing here replaces it.
- Safeguarding procedures for children and adults at risk beyond what a security operative is assessed on.
- The details of local schemes such as Ask Angela, which vary by area.
Where to go next
Door Supervisor mock test
A timed paper including the protecting vulnerable people unit.
Incident reports and evidence
Recording an incident and preserving a scene.
Refresher qualifications and the old top-up
Spiking is part of the door supervisor refresher. Who needs one.
SIA documents
The specifications and legislation quoted here.
Sources
Each passage below is quoted from the copy of the document we checked on the date shown. Follow the link to read it in full on the publisher’s site.
Duty of care is: ‘ moral or legal obligation to ensure the safety or wellbeing of others’; People may not always appear to be vulnerable so best practice would be to have a duty of care for everyone.
1. Pearson Education LimitedBTEC Level 2 Award for Door Supervisors in the Private Security Industry: Specification (opens in a new tab)Unit 1, criterion 10.1, page 63UK wide · Checked 5 Sept 2026Prioritise the welfare of the potential victim; Provide/offer first aid, call an ambulance (if required); Conduct risk assessment/ensure safeguarding by analysing the situation, e.g. is the potential victim in immediate or potential danger if they leave the venue; Seek verification from those accompanying the potential victim of; How well does the victim know them?
2. Pearson Education LimitedBTEC Level 2 Award for Door Supervisors in the Private Security Industry (Refresher): Specification (opens in a new tab)Unit 1, criterion 4.8, page 53UK wide · Checked 5 Sept 2026Vulnerable: being under the influence of alcohol or drugs alone or receiving unwanted attention; separated from friends; appearing lost or isolated; being followed or threatened; victims of domestic violence; young people under the age of 18; mental ill health, learning disabilities physical disabilities; being elderly; being acutely ill; key behaviours associated with a range of invisible disabilities
3. Pearson Education LimitedBTEC Level 2 Award for Door Supervisors in the Private Security Industry (Refresher): Specification (opens in a new tab)Unit 1, criterion 2.2, page 38UK wide · Checked 5 Sept 2026Indicators of child sexual exploitation: children and young people in the company of older people or antisocial groups; acting in an inappropriate and sexualised way intoxicated; arriving and departing a location with different adults; getting into and out of a number of different cars.
4. Pearson Education LimitedBTEC Level 2 Award for Door Supervisors in the Private Security Industry (Refresher): Specification (opens in a new tab)Unit 1, criterion 2.2, page 38UK wide · Checked 5 Sept 2026People being ejected are more vulnerable to specific crimes or attacks which are more common in the night-time economy; Sobriety; Drug use; Age; Mental capacity; Attitude
5. Pearson Education LimitedBTEC Level 2 Award for Door Supervisors in the Private Security Industry: Specification (opens in a new tab)Unit 2, criterion 6.7, page 91UK wide · Checked 5 Sept 2026Seeking help from other professionals, police, ambulance, street pastors street marshals or representatives from any other scheme active in the area to help people; Offer to call a relative or friend to give assistance; Offer to call a licensed taxi to take the vulnerable person home; Using ‘safe havens’ or other local initiatives run by organisations such as St; John Ambulance; Be aware of current safety initiatives, e.g. Ask Angela campaign; Reporting indicators of child sexual exploitation contact the police or call Crimestoppers report as soon as possible.
6. Pearson Education LimitedBTEC Level 2 Award for Door Supervisors in the Private Security Industry: Specification (opens in a new tab)Unit 1, criterion 10.3, page 64UK wide · Checked 5 Sept 2026Close monitoring of vulnerable people; Buying drinks or gifts for vulnerable people; Suspicious behaviour around certain times and venues; Inappropriate use of technology, e.g. upskirting with phones.
7. Pearson Education LimitedBTEC Level 2 Award for Door Supervisors in the Private Security Industry: Specification (opens in a new tab)Unit 1, criterion 10.4, page 65UK wide · Checked 5 Sept 2026Restricting freedom of individuals; Unexplained bruising; Lack of confidence and insecurity; Change in circumstances, e.g. cleanliness, appearance.
8. Pearson Education LimitedBTEC Level 2 Award for Door Supervisors in the Private Security Industry: Specification (opens in a new tab)Unit 1, criterion 10.5, page 65UK wide · Checked 5 Sept 2026Follow organisation’s policies and procedures; Notify police; Safeguard victim; Separate victim from assailant; Record and document all information.
9. Pearson Education LimitedBTEC Level 2 Award for Door Supervisors in the Private Security Industry: Specification (opens in a new tab)Unit 1, criterion 10.6, page 65UK wide · Checked 5 Sept 2026Adding alcohol or drugs to a person’s drink or food without their knowledge or consent; Adding more alcohol or drugs to a person’s drink or food than they consented to. For example, giving someone double shots instead of single ones; Spiking by needle into food drink direct injection into a person; Spiking cigarettes/vapes.
10. Pearson Education LimitedBTEC Level 2 Award for Door Supervisors in the Private Security Industry (Refresher): Specification (opens in a new tab)Unit 1, criterion 4.1, page 48UK wide · Checked 5 Sept 2026Visually it is difficult to tell if a drink has been spiked; Substances used for spiking usually have no taste, odour or colour. However, indicators could include drinks becoming discoloured, cloudier or fizzing a separation line in drinks; Non-visual/other indicators unusual odour unusual taste.
11. Pearson Education LimitedBTEC Level 2 Award for Door Supervisors in the Private Security Industry (Refresher): Specification (opens in a new tab)Unit 1, criterion 4.3, page 49UK wide · Checked 5 Sept 2026Receiving an unsolicited drink from a possible stranger; Hand hovering near victim’s drink; Hand drawing away quickly from victim’s drink; Swapping drinks with victim either secretly or purposefully, offering victim a ‘taste’ of their drink; Surveying their surroundings; Adding a shot/additional liquid to the victim’s drink.
12. Pearson Education LimitedBTEC Level 2 Award for Door Supervisors in the Private Security Industry (Refresher): Specification (opens in a new tab)Unit 1, criterion 4.4, page 49UK wide · Checked 5 Sept 2026Behaviour indicators mental confusion/slurred speech very tired unresponsive nauseous/vomiting loss of bladder control dizzy poor coordination/loss of balance blurred vision hallucinations or paranoia seizures behaving out of character; Other indicators spiking via injection, e.g. localised pain small puncture wound.
13. Pearson Education LimitedBTEC Level 2 Award for Door Supervisors in the Private Security Industry (Refresher): Specification (opens in a new tab)Unit 1, criterion 4.7, page 52UK wide · Checked 5 Sept 2026consider detaining them if they attempt to leave when informed that the police are attending if unsafe to detain them, ensure full description and direction of travel is provided to the police
14. Pearson Education LimitedBTEC Level 2 Award for Door Supervisors in the Private Security Industry (Refresher): Specification (opens in a new tab)Unit 1, criterion 4.8, page 53UK wide · Checked 5 Sept 2026Implement the venue safeguarding plan for spiking incidents; Use test kits where available; Secure the evidence, e.g. glass/bottle/drugs or anything the individual may have consumed; Secure any relevant CCTV/bodycam footage; Seek witnesses/witness footage if available; Record in incident book.
15. Pearson Education LimitedBTEC Level 2 Award for Door Supervisors in the Private Security Industry (Refresher): Specification (opens in a new tab)Unit 1, criterion 4.8, page 53UK wide · Checked 5 Sept 2026Implement/follow venue spiking policy; Provide staff with specialist spiking training; Reduce opportunities for spiking to occur provide an attended table near to toilets or smoking areas for customers to leave their drinks in safety implement a policy of refusing to add alcohol to another person’s drink make available anti-spiking bottle stoppers and protective drink covers for those who want them
16. Pearson Education LimitedBTEC Level 2 Award for Door Supervisors in the Private Security Industry (Refresher): Specification (opens in a new tab)Unit 1, criterion 4.6, page 50UK wide · Checked 5 Sept 2026under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, it is illegal to administer a substance to someone without consent with the intention of ‘stupefying or overpowering’ them so as to enable the other person to engage in sexual activity under the Offences Against the Person Act 1861, it is illegal to maliciously administer poison so as to endanger life or inflict GBH current provisions for Scotland: under the Sexual; Offences (Scotland) Act 2009, a person can also be prosecuted under the common law offence of ‘drugging’ where the intent to stupefy the victim is required.
17. Pearson Education LimitedBTEC Level 2 Award for Door Supervisors in the Private Security Industry (Refresher): Specification (opens in a new tab)Unit 1, criterion 4.2, page 48UK wide · Checked 5 Sept 2026that the defendant did the relevant act, that any of the circumstances specified in subsection (2) existed, and that the defendant knew that those circumstances existed
18. legislation.gov.ukSexual Offences Act 2003 (opens in a new tab)Section 75(1)England and Wales · Checked 5 Sept 2026the complainant is to be taken not to have consented to the relevant act unless sufficient evidence is adduced to raise an issue as to whether he consented
19. legislation.gov.ukSexual Offences Act 2003 (opens in a new tab)Section 75: evidential presumptions about consentEngland and Wales · Checked 5 Sept 2026any person had administered to or caused to be taken by the complainant, without the complainant’s consent, a substance which, having regard to when it was administered or taken, was capable of causing or enabling the complainant to be stupefied or overpowered at the time of the relevant act.
20. legislation.gov.ukSexual Offences Act 2003 (opens in a new tab)Section 75(2)(f)England and Wales · Checked 5 Sept 2026
SIA Mock Test UK is an independent study resource. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or approved by the Security Industry Authority, GOV.UK or any awarding organisation. Practice questions are original and are not live exam questions. This service does not replace mandatory licence-linked training, practical assessment or first-aid requirements. Always confirm current requirements with GOV.UK, your approved training provider and your awarding organisation.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Read the licence.