Tesco has provided staff with DNA testing kits to aid police in tracing abusive customers in a bid to crack down on assaults on workers.
It is understood that delivery drivers can use the tests, known as ‘spit kits’, to collect a sample if a customer becomes aggressive and spits at them, after some workers found themselves in altercations when asking for ID for alcohol, The Telegraph reported.
Staff have been asked to share DNA evidence with investigators and report any assaults to police and Tesco security.
Subscribe to Grocery Gazette for free
Sign up here to get the latest grocery and food news each morning
It is understood that the kits were first provided to delivery vans during the pandemic.
It comes as, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC), the number of daily incidents of abuse against a retail worker surged 50% to 1,300 in 2023.
A BRC survey earlier this year also found that retailers have spent around £1.8bn to tackle crime, investing in measures such as CCTV, security guards and body-worn cameras.
Last year, Tesco began offering its store workers body cameras as physical assault cases on staff soared to more than 200 each month, a move Tesco CEO Ken Murphy said at the time was a “necessary measure”.
