A man suspected of cashing in £13,000 of stolen Giro cheques was arrested by police officers when he signed on for benefit at a Palmers Green Jobcentre yesterday.

The man, in his late 20s, is believed to have intercepted cheques sent by post and paid them into several bank accounts during an 18-month crime spree.

Up to ten plain clothes and uniformed officers lay in wait for the man outside the Jobcentre in Alderman's Hill yesterday morning.

Shortly after 9.30am, they watched as the suspect arrived and entered the building to sign on for his weekly Jobseekers allowance. He left the building ten minutes later and was arrested.

The investigation was launched by the Department of Work and Pensions after dozens of Giro cheques were reported missing in the post.

The suspect is accused of cashing in up to 139 Giro cheques between March 2003, and September 2004, with a total value of more than £13,000.

The man is thought to have cashed the stolen cheques, worth up to £100 each, at several bank accounts he had opened.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Work and Pensions said: "We knew that a lot of Giro cheques were going missing so we started to investigate in January."

Det Insp Paige Kimberley, who led yesterday's operation, said: "The arrest was a great success, working with several different agencies, and with minimum impact on the public.

"Enfield police will continue to give out the message that we will hit social services theft hard."