Safety at our venue
We want everyone visiting The Plug & Tub to feel safe and enjoy their night.
Our staff and security teams are there to help. If something doesn't feel right, if you are worried about yourself or a friend, or if you think you may have been spiked, tell a member of staff or security straight away. You will be taken seriously and supported.
CCTV and Event Control
The venue is covered by 19 CCTV cameras operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
When the nightclub is operating, our dedicated Event Control room gives our team immediate access to the CCTV system, allowing us to quickly review any safety concern or incident reported to us. Where an incident may constitute a crime, relevant CCTV footage and other potential evidence can be identified and preserved to support an investigation.
Welfare space
We have a dedicated welfare space within our office, away from the main venue. If you feel unwell, unsafe or overwhelmed, or simply need somewhere away from the main event, speak to a member of staff or security. Our staff are also expected to be proactive. If we are concerned about somebody's welfare, we won't wait for them to ask us for help.
Trained security and staff
All our security staff are SIA trained and receive first aid training.
Our in-house security managers oversee security at our events and brief any additional security staff before each event begins. Our bar staff also receive regular safety briefings, including what to do following a suspected spiking incident and how to respond to Ask for Angela. Staff are required to confirm that they have read and understood our procedures.
Searches
Bag and person searches may take place on entry to our nightclub and events as part of our venue safety procedures.
Our security team may also carry out additional searches where there is a safety concern or information that gives us reason to do so.
Our procedures
The Plug & Tub holds Gold accreditation through the Best Bar None scheme.
Our venue procedures include responding to suspected spiking and other incidents, protecting people's welfare, preserving a potential crime scene and securing evidence that may assist an investigation. Keeping people safe comes before keeping the night running.
Safe Taxi Scheme
If you need help getting home safely, the SU operates a Safe Taxi Scheme with Veezu.
The scheme is available between 22:00 and 05:00 and can be used for journeys to your student address, hospital or a police station, up to the value covered by the scheme. Ask a member of staff if you need help arranging safe transport. Find out more about the SU Safe Taxi Scheme.
Drink and needle spiking
Spiking isn't limited to putting something into someone's drink.
It can include adding alcohol or drugs to a drink without someone's knowledge or consent, giving somebody more alcohol than they agreed to, or attempting to administer a substance by injection.
If you think something has happened, tell us even if you're not certain. You don't need to know what you may have been given and you don't need to prove that you've been spiked before asking for help.
If you think you may have been spiked by a needle, tell staff immediately so that we can help you access appropriate medical advice.
Looking out for yourself and others
There are some practical things everyone can do when on a night out:
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Keep an eye on your drink and your friends' drinks
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Don't accept a drink if you don't know where it has come from
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Ask us for a free Spikey or StopTopp
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Look out for your friends and tell us if someone's behaviour or condition suddenly changes
These precautions can help reduce risk, but spiking is never the fault of the person who has been spiked. The responsibility lies with the person who does it.
If you think you've been spiked
Tell a member of bar staff, security or a venue manager as soon as possible. You can also Ask for Angela if you need to discreetly tell us that you feel unsafe or need help.
Our team will:
If you or somebody else is seriously unwell, call 999.
Do not leave the venue alone or with somebody you do not know or trust.
If you wake up and think you were spiked the night before
You may not immediately realise that something has happened.
If you think you may have been spiked, consider seeking medical advice and reporting it as soon as possible. Some substances can leave the body quickly, so early reporting can be important if you want an incident investigated.
You can:
There is no requirement to report an incident to the Police in order to ask for support.
Spiking prevention
Spikeys
Free Spikeys are available at The Plug & Tub whenever we are open.
Spikeys fit into the neck of a bottle, leaving space for a straw and making it more difficult for something to be added to your drink without you knowing.
Just ask a member of staff at the bar.
StopTopps
Free StopTopps are also available whenever we are open.
These single-use drink covers can be placed over glasses, cups, cans and bottles, with a straw inserted through the cover.
Again, just ask a member of our team. You don't need to buy anything to ask us for one.
Remember
If something doesn't feel right, tell us. You don't need to be certain that you've been spiked, and you don't need to wait until you feel seriously unwell. Speak to our bar staff, security or venue management. We would rather you tell us and it turns out to be nothing than deal with it on your own.