A 51-year-old man has been arrested for shoplifting in Dunedin

Police executed a search warrant at a home in Alexandra yesterday.

The man was charged with three counts of shoplifting and will appear in the Alexandra District Court next Wednesday.

Sergeant Derek Ealson says this is unacceptable behaviour that causes financial damage to retailers.

He says police and retailers can't prevent opportunistic crime alone, and rely on the help of the community to stop this illegal activity.