Photo: Jon Manchester

UPDATE: 10:45 a.m.

Vernon RCMP say parking meters in the city's downtown core continue to be targeted by thieves despite the arrest of two suspects last month.

On March 2, police learned of 21 meters that had been targeted over the weekend. And last Friday, police were advised of another 18 meters that were broken into overnight.

On Monday, RCMP were alerted to a suspicious man in a hoodie breaking into parking meters on 33rd Street about 5:45 a.m., but were unable to locate the suspect. Later that evening, police received another call about a man on a bike breaking into meters, but were unable to attend in time to locate him.

"This is a crime that can occur relatively quickly, as the thief can be in and out of a meter in the matter of minutes," says Cpl. Tania Finn. "We know that one individual can cause substantial damage to a number of machines in a very short time period. Unfortunately, it appears there are more than one thief targeting the meters here in Vernon."

No suspects have been identified in this latest string of thefts. If you have any information regarding the incidents, contact Vernon RCMP at 250-545-7171 or CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or www.nokscrimestoppers.com. 

ORIGINAL: 9:15 a.m.

Parking meter vandals have struck again in downtown Vernon.

A dozen meters were trashed overnight over a two-block area on and around 28th Avenue.

Caps were smashed off the meters as the thieves presumably sought the change inside.

Parking meter vandalism has been an ongoing problem in the city core.

Meters were trashed in January on 29th Street, and problems go back several years.

In 2015, more than 100 parking meters were damaged in a single week, costing the city approximately $20,000 in repairs. A man was arrested and charged in that incident.

And, just last month, two arrests were made in another case of meter vandalism and theft after meters were trashed on 30th Street and Centennial Drive.