Suspected criminals came off second best when teams of senior police officers and office staff went "back to the shop floor" in York.

Five people were arrested for alleged offences including theft, burglary, disorder and drug use, while suspected stolen property and heroin were recovered in two raids yesterday.

The successes came during a day of back-to-the-beat training with senior and experienced staff members of North Yorkshire Police mucking in with everyday policing.

Eight teams tackled crime in Newgate Market, begging and street drinking in the city centre, vehicle crime in eight public car parks and visited notorious crime "hot spots" around the city.

Assistant Chief Constable Peter Bagshaw, the force's third in command, arrested a youth outside York Magistrate's Court for breaching an antisocial behaviour order.

"It is absolutely essential that we make sure managers are well versed in the service we provide to the public. We could have done this in a classroom, but we thought it was far better to hit the streets," he said.

Organiser Inspector Andy Everitt said he was "amazed" at the enthusiasm of those involved. He said: "It reflects that at heart we are all operational police officers."

Trainees also joined regular beat patrols in Clifton, Tang Hall and Acomb. They targeted areas known for antisocial behaviour as well as busy public areas.

Officers were disappointed to find motorists leaving valuables including handbags, credit cards and even a prosthetic limb on display in vulnerable parked vehicles.

A handful of big city centre stores received visits from officers to discuss their security arrangements in the run-up to the busy Christmas season.

A call for police assistance over the shop radio system was answered by a superintendent who arrested a man for suspected shoplifting.

Mr Bagshaw said this week also marked 2,000 extra arrests across the county as part of Operation Delivery, a drive to step up law enforcement and disrupt criminal activity.

He said: "To achieve this in just ten weeks is a remarkable achievement by anyone's reckoning and I would point out that Operation Delivery will run and run. There will be no let up."

Updated: 11:00 Wednesday, November 19, 2003