A SENIOR policeman briefly appeared in the Nelspruit magistrate's court on charges of shoplifting on Friday.

Advocate Christopher Kevin James, 45, is also the head of the provincial police legal services department.

James was not asked to plead to the charges and was released on warning pending his next court appearance tomorrow.

James allegedly entered the Pick n Pay supermarket in Nelspruit and removed price tags from cheaper mutton before placing them on the more expensive mutton in an apparent attempt to pay less.

It is not clear how he was caught red-handed. The supermarket management called in the Nelspruit police, who arrested him on the spot minutes after the incident on Thursday at about 2.30pm.

Mpumalanga police spokesperson Captain Leonard Hlathi confirmed the arrest and said investigations were continuing.

"I can confirm the arrest and investigations are still at a sensitive stage at the moment," Hlathi said.