Plain-clothed police officers followed and arrested a suspected shoplifter as he removed laundry products from the shelves.
The officers were on routine patrol in Mansfield town centre on Wednesday afternoon when they spotted the man acting suspiciously.
After following him into a store in West Gate shortly before 3.15pm, they soon announced their presence and detained him.
A 33-year-old man was then arrested on suspicion of theft.
Sergeant Cat Darby, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:
“Reducing shop theft is a key local priority for us.
“So as well as mounting regular highly visible uniformed patrols in and around the town centre to deter offenders, we also run regular plain-clothed operations that allow us to follow suspects more closely.
“On Wednesday that approach paid off and a suspect was detained as a result.”
“We will be continuing this work throughout the summer, so offenders shouldn’t be surprised if they find themselves coming face-to-face with police officer.”