Lost echidna a prickly problem for Vic cop

A Melbourne policewoman has tackled some prickly issues in her career, but never the prickliest of all - a frightened echidna in a suburban shopping centre.

Constable Laine Bramley was on patrol with her partner when she found the frightened monotreme huddled tightly in a corner at the University Hill Shopping Centre in north suburban Bundoora on Monday afternoon.

She used her baton to coax the spiky miscreant out of the corner and into her hands.

"It had burrowed itself into the wall so tightly it took me several minutes to get it out of the corner," she said.

"Luckily I had my slash-proof gloves on."

A local wildlife rescue service offered Const Bramley some advice on the best operational tactics.

Enrique was briefly taken into custody but was released on his own recognisance in a nearby park.