Chief Constable Della Cannings underlined her hands-on approach to dealing with nuisance and disorder - by arresting two men as she travelled through York.
North Yorkshire's most senior police officer saw a group of four young men allegedly vandalising advertising banners outside the Riverside Farm restaurant and pub, on the A19, near Skelton.
She ordered her driver to stop in the car park, got out of the car and grabbed two of the young men, who staff said had left the business only minutes beforehand after some glasses were broken.
Ms Cannings, 51, told the Evening Press that the spur-of-the-moment decision caught the youths by surprise, but two still managed to run away.
She said: "It's just proves that we are all police officers, and I have the powers of a constable even though I am the Chief Constable.
"Clearly if there is unacceptable behaviour I would expect to take action, and of course I would expect all my officers to do the same."
The Chief Constable was wearing police uniform when the incident occurred as she returned from the Festival of Remembrance, at the York Barbican, on Sunday at 11pm.
No one at the Spirit Group, which manages Riverside Farm, was available to comment today.
A police spokesman said today that two York men, aged 23 and 19, had been released on police bail, pending further inquiries.
Updated: 10:35 Tuesday, November 04, 2003
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