A man breaching his probation was caught lighting fires in Vernon last week.

A Crime Reduction Unit officer on patrol near Polson Park Thursday, March 21 at 9:30 p.m. observed flames near a building and an individual walking away from the area.

The officer was able to douse the fire to prevent it from spreading and immediately contacted additional officers to the scene to locate the possible suspect.

A short distance away, police located the man crouched over as he attempted to start another fire with a butane torch.

Officers immediately recognized the man and knew he was bound by court-imposed conditions not to possess any incendiary devices.

鈥淭he Crime Reduction unit consists of plain clothes officers driving unmarked police vehicles,鈥� said Cpl. Tania Finn, media relations officer for the Vernon North Okanagan RCMP. 鈥淪ince they blend in, these officers are often in a position to observe criminal activity that a suspect would not normally attempt in front of a police officer.鈥�

A 35-year old man from Vernon was taken into custody and charged with failure to comply with a probation order.

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