London bus-drivers are carrying DNA kits to help catch face-spitters:

A 17-year-old has been arrested for spitting at a bus driver in north London under a crime prevention pilot scheme.

The youth is one of the first to face prosecution after the launch of a new scheme in which bus drivers have been provided with DNA testing kits to help catch offending passengers.

The driver was in Brent when the youth spat in his face. He took a sample of the saliva using a sterile swab. Police then tested it and found a match on the national DNA database.

The 17-year-old was arrested yesterday and held for questioning- He may face a charge of causing a public nuisance or actual bodily harm.

(Via Boing Boing.)