POLICE officers had to cut short a pop-up surgery in York to arrest a shoplifting suspect.

PC Mark Grimes and PCSO Grenville Dowson were speaking with members of the public at a coffee shop in Market Street at 10am on Thursday when they received a report of cosmetics being stolen from a shop in Kings Square.

With the assistance of store staff and Street Rangers, the officers detained a man in Feasegate at 11.10am. He was searched, and suspected stolen property was found.

PC Grimes said the pop-up surgeries had become popular with the increased availability of mobile technology for officers, which meant they could spend more time in the community.

He said: "We're more accessible to the people we serve. We can also work really closely with our colleagues such as York BID Street Rangers so we can deal with people's issues effectively. Of course, as today's arrest shows, being able to set up in businesses in the heart of the city also means we are often in the right place at the right time to respond to any incidents.

"I hope we didn't disappoint too many people by having to cut short the surgery on this occasion, but rest assured we'll be hosting many more events in the weeks ahead."

The 38-year-old local suspect was arrested on suspicion of shop theft and taken to custody, where he remained on Thursday afternoon, and the stolen property was returned to the store.