A DUNFERMLINE nightclub has begun carrying out random searches following a rise in spiking incidents across the country.

Lourenzos in St Margaret Street said although there had been no incidents of that nature at the venue so far, they would start doing checks over the Halloween weekend.

Police Scotland issued an update at the end of last week to confirm they were now investigating a "number of reports" of spiking across the whole breadth of the country

The increase in emphasis comes just a week after they announced investigations into a "small number" of alleged incidents in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen.

As widely-publicised in the media across the UK, revellers have been targeted with spiking by injection in nightclubs in recent weeks.

A post on Lourenzos' Facebook page stated: "Following a worrying rise in reports of drink-spiking incidents and the alarming trend of people being injected with drugs, we will be carrying out random searches on entry to our venue from this weekend.

"The safety of our customers is our top priority, we have managed to avoid any incidents in our club so far and we want to keep it that way!

"Our staff and security team have been asked to be extra-vigilant, we want you to feel comfortable approaching them if you feel unsafe, vulnerable or threatened in any way."

Lourenzos have issued advice to clubbers to help keep themselves safe:

l Always buy your own drink and watch it being poured.

l Don't accept drinks from strangers.

l Never leave your drink unattended while you dance or go to the toilet.

l Don't drink or taste anyone else's drink.

l Throw your drink away if you think it tastes odd.

l Stay with friends and people you trust.

l Alert a member of staff or management if you start to feel strange, sick or drunk when you know that you couldn’t be drunk

Assistant Chief Constable Judi Heaton, Police Scotland, said: "We continue to investigate a number of reports across the country from people who report having been 'spiked' either with a needle or in their drink.

"We are also aware of posts referring to spiking incidents circulating on social media.

"Our inquiries are ongoing and at this time we do not believe that these reports are linked."

Assistant Chief Constable Heaton added October and November sees a small but notable increase in spiking incidents every year but they were taking every report "extremely seriously".

She added: "Women, and men, should be able to go out for a night out without fear of being spiked. We are working with a range of partners, locally and nationally, to ensure pubs and clubs are safe spaces for all. This includes working with licensees.

"Each year, we receive a small number of reports of what can be termed spiking, with a small but notable increase in October and November.

"We are not always able to determine the reasons why a perpetrator carries out an assault in this way, and it may not always be for a sexual purpose. It can put people at significant risk of harm. We will take every report extremely seriously and investigate robustly.

"Anyone who reports having their drink spiked or has been assaulted by whatever means, will be taken seriously. We would encourage anyone who believes they have had their drink spiked or been assaulted in this way to contact Police Scotland on 101 or in an emergency 999."