Mexico City, Dec 31 - A 56-year-old man from the northern Mexican city of Matamoros has been arrested 600 times in 10 years for misdemeanours, such as roaming around drunk or disturbing the public order, the daily Reforma reported Wednesday.

Since 2000, the man who sells sweets for a living, has been taken to the municipal prison at least once a week, sometimes at his own request.

"Sometimes we find him really drunk in the Capilla neighbourhood, and we take him in so that he is not run over, or he himself asks us to arrest him," one police officer was quoted as saying.

Sixteen times, the man was indeed run over, and he was mugged at least nine times.

When he is found drunk, police often prefer to take him to his home. When he lands in prison, however, he prefers to spend 36 hours there rather than pay the fine that would allow him to walk free sooner.

According to Reforma, if he had paid all those fines he would be $27,690 poorer. (dpa)