Police arrest shirtless man on roof of Melbourne's Government House

Police have detained a man on the roof of Government House in Melbourne.

The shirtless man was taken down by three police officers, as paramedics and firefighters remained on standby.

Seven News helicopter footage showed the man handcuffed after police were called to the scene about 7.45am on Monday.

Governor Linda Dessau was not inside the official residence, which is next to the Royal Botanical Gardens, as she is overseas on an official visit to Singapore and Indonesia, a spokeswoman said.

"The governor is appreciative of the swift response of emergency services," a spokeswoman said.

After some time, emergency services safely removed the man from the roof using a cherry picker.

Police said he suffered minor injuries during the incident.

He was secured on a stretcher and lowered to the ground before being taken to a nearby hospital for assessment.