Kind-hearted policeman shows care in the community when he gives homeless man socks and shoes

A caring police officer has won praise after showing an incredible act of kindness to a homeless man living on a roadside.

Police were called when motorists spotted the elderly gentleman with a backpack lying on plastic sheeting at a dusty roadside .

The officer from New Mexico's Los Lunas Police Department approached the man to ask him if he was okay.

When officer Mark Gurule arrived and talked with the man - his lapel camera recording the whole episode - he discovered the his feet were soaking and that he was drying his socks on some nearby rocks.

Minutes later Gurule left the scene and headed off to a nearby Big 5 Sporting Goods store and got a new pair of shoes and socks for the man.

“The most rewarding feeling was when the man put on his socks and shoes and he gave me a thumb ups with a big smile on his face,” said the officer .

The man gladly accepted the act of kindness and gave the officer a big thumbs up when he put them on.

After giving the man the shoes and socks, Officer Gurule then handed him a $20 note to help him get some food.

The officer was lauded by his superiors after the video camera on his uniform was viewed by fellow officers back at the station.