A 73-year-old man hired as a shopping mall Santa Claus has been arrested in Regina for being drunk in public.

The man was escorted out of a downtown mall Friday.

He was supposed to start his shift as Santa at the mall's Christmas photo booth.

Police took him into custody just before noon as he was preparing to meet with kids.

Mall administration said it requires the agency that sets up the seasonal photo booth to perform record checks before hiring people to work there.

It said it is now reviewing its agreement with the agency.