A man who spat at police officers will face several charges when he appears in court on Thursday.
Police say they were called to a central Hamilton supermarket on Wednesday morning to investigate a suspected shoplifting.
After the 20-year-old suspect was arrested he tried to flee, and spat at the police officers trying to detain him.
"The health and safety of officers is a priority for police and we have a range of measures in place to protect our people, however given the frontline nature of police work there are risks," said Insp Andrew Mortimore, who called it "extremely dangerous".
Supermarkets are one of few retail businesses allowed to open under the current pandemic alert level 4 lockdown, in an attempt to stop the spread of COVID-19. The virus which causes the disease can be spread through saliva and mucus.
As a result, the man has been charged with not just theft, but also common assault, escaping custody and wilful damage.
"Behaviour where people spit at members of the community, including police officers, will not be tolerated," said Mortimore.
Police said none of the officers have gone into self-isolation as a result of the incident.
A Taranaki man who spat at police was jailed last week for three months.
