Tesco has armed its delivery drivers with DNA tests to help police track down the vile customers who abuse them.
The British supermarket has supplied its staff with so-called ‘spit kits’ in an effort to combat the shocking increase in violent attacks on retail workers.
If a customer becomes aggressive and spits, the staff member has been urged to use the DNA kit to collect a sample and contact the Tesco security team as well as the police.
The kits are believed to have been first given to Tesco delivery drivers during the pandemic, the Telegraph reported. Tesco has been approached for comment.
The drastic measure comes as the number of daily incidents of abuse against retail workers surged by 50 per cent from 870 to 1,300 in 2023, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC).
The BRC found that retailers have spent around £1.8million to tackle crime, investing in ‘necessary measures’ such as Tesco offering frontline workers body-worn cameras.
The Co-op’s frontline staff now wear body cameras and headsets so they can call for help if attacked, part of a £200 million investment in security over recent years.
Tesco boss Ken Murphy wrote in The Mail on Sunday that the rise in customers being ‘verbally and physically abusive’ towards staff is ‘heartbreaking’.
He said: ‘As retailers, we work hard to make sure our stores are warm, welcoming and safe –not just for customers, but for the millions of people who stock the shelves, walk the floor and serve the tills.
‘Like everyone, they deserve to be safe at work.
‘But over the last couple of years, these unsung heroes are being made to feel less safe by the actions of some people: customers who will be verbally and physically abusive, or who will threaten and attack them when challenged.’
Mr Murphy added: ‘This is unacceptable. And for these colleagues, their families, and all of us who know someone who works in retail, it’s heartbreaking.’
The CEO admitted that physical assaults on Tesco workers rose by a third between 2022 and 2023.
As well as offering body-worn cameras, the supermarket giant spent heavily on protective screens and digital radios to keep their staff and stock secure – as the BRC predicted £2billion worth of goods could be lost to shoplifting in 2024.
Similarly, one in three staff at Asda have been attacked on the job including being stabbed and punched. The supermarket confirmed it had spent £30million during the last three years to protect its workers.
Body armour companies have also reported a rise in demand for stab vests from shop staff in the last two years.
Last year Mail Online revealed that a hell-raising ‘joker’ was jailed after one of his ‘pranks’ saw a female shopworker at Asda being brutally beaten unconscious.
Attention seeker George O’Boyle, 30, led a rabble of delinquents in fancy-dress through a an Asda store at Clapham Junction in London, turning it into a violent mass brawl.
O’Boyle’s friend Josh McDonald wore a Spider-Man costume as he kicked and punched defenceless staff member Lauren Scott until she was unconscious.
Tesco CEO Mr Murphy demanded that the government ‘make abuse or violence towards retail workers an offence’, as is the case in Scotland.
In a major victory for the Mail on Sunday campaign, the legislation will be included in the new Criminal Justice Bill.
Sir Keir Starmer pledged Labour would ‘legislate to make sure assaulting shopworkers is a stand alone criminal offence because you deserve to feel safe at work.’
He said: ‘The Mail is completely right to campaign for a tougher response to shoplifting and a crackdown on assaults against workers. Labour will deliver on both of these calls.
‘As part of our mission to take back our streets, we will reverse the Tory “Shoplifters’ Charter”.’
What Sir Keir calls the ‘Shoplifters’ Charter’ was introduced by the Conservative government in 2014. It considers the theft of goods under £200 to be considered ‘low value’ allowing for such offences to be dealt with by post.
Before moving into 10 Downing Street, Starmer said: ‘The changed Labour Party I lead knows that respect for the rule of law is paramount.
‘As our country’s former chief prosecutor, I know we can only deliver justice for victims and deter crime with visible police on the beat and a justice system people can believe in.’