A man was found carrying a number of unpaid-for bottles of alcohol during a police operation in Reading town centre.
Officers from Thames Valley Police were carrying out a Project Servator deployment on Friday when they became suspicious of a man and stopped to speak with him.
Following enquiries, officers discovered he was carrying several bottles of alcohol that had not been paid for.
The alcohol was recovered and police dealt with the incident.
Project Servator is a policing tactic used across the Thames Valley to deter criminal activity, disrupt offenders and reassure the public.
The deployments involve a mix of highly visible and less obvious policing methods, with officers carrying out patrols, speaking to members of the public and monitoring for suspicious behaviour.
Thames Valley Police said the operation formed part of its ongoing work to keep people safe in Reading town centre.
The force is encouraging residents to remain vigilant and report anything suspicious via 101, or 999 in an emergency.
