Lewisham Central Policing Team tweeted photos of a large haul of chocolate bars – including popular brands such as Galaxy and Aero – and more than a dozen cans of Red Bull.

The force didn’t explain what offence had been committed, but congratulated the officers on the “sweet smell of success” after stopping “two males acting suspiciously”.

“The males were stopped and had bags full to the brim with confectionary [sic] that was obviously not bought for consumption by themselves,” it said.

The estimated value of the sweets was around £367 (around €425).

One reply to the force’s tweet, with more than 12,000 likes, simply reads: “stopping actual crime would be nice”

Another wrote: “And what exactly is the maximum amount of sweets I can walk around with? Two? Three? I am just a law abiding citizen who doesn’t want any trouble.”