Police have been dealing with spitting offenders since long before the outbreak of COVID-19, but there appears to have been a rise in cases of people using the vile method of assault since the pandemic began, the northern NSW police commander says.
"I don't know what makes a person's mind tick to want to spit on another individual," Assistant Commissioner Max Mitchell told the Newcastle Herald.
"This type of crime - in particular for anyone who's an essential worker to be spat on or coughed on - I guess the term would be un-Australian isn't it.
"It's a dirty crime that just should not be tolerated to any extent."
There has been a string of incidents across the state in recent weeks involving people allegedly intentionally spitting or coughing on others.
Since the middle of April, there have been at least five such cases in the Hunter and Central Coast area that have led to large fines and charges.
In the latest incident, a woman was charged on Wednesday night after she allegedly spat on a security guard at a Raymond Terrace supermarket.
The security guard asked the 41-year-old to make her way to the registers because the shop was closing, but she refused.
When he asked a second time, police said, the woman allegedly spat in his face before she hit him with a bag.
Several employees escorted the woman from the store and police later arrested and charged her - she will face court in July.
It came after a 29-year-old man was charged last week for allegedly spitting at a police officer at Stroud.
A 20-year-old woman allegedly spat at police during a traffic stop at Teralba a day earlier.
A day before that, a 40-year-old woman was fined $5000 for spitting on a fast food restaurant employee at Woy Woy.
The state government introduced $5000 fines earlier this month for anyone who deliberately spits at or coughs on someone deemed to be an essential worker.
Assistant Commissioner Mitchell said cases of offenders spitting at police were not previously uncommon - though now he said "there's more of it".
"I think there was actually a lot of spitting that went on previously," he said.
"Not weekly, but certainly on fairly regular occasions people spitting at police officers as they were going about their business.
"I think what's occurred with health regulations is it has brought out the significance and it's really resonated with our communities."
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